


Something About us

by Jade_Williams



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Awkward upload schedule - Freeform, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Profanity, Recovery, Relapse, SO FLUFFY, Sequel to Something About Whiskey - Freeform, Will they take in the baby? - Freeform, a wedding, dad jokes, hurt/angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-02-05 01:11:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 56,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12783684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade_Williams/pseuds/Jade_Williams
Summary: SEQUEL TO SOMETHING ABOUT WHISKEYWith only a week left until their wedding, Robert and Cody couldn't be happier (despite the fact Robert won't stop complaining about his broken ankle). Everything is perfect until Cody's mother shows up at the house with some tragic news regarding his brother. It also turns out that his brother's wife is pregnant and she doesn't want the baby now that her husband is dead and it's expected that Cody takes the baby once it's born. While all of this is settling in, what was once a perfect life appears to be turning sour and it all comes to a devastating point when Cody goes on a walk and doesn't come home. Will things be okay? Or will tragic events tear Cody and Robert apart for good?Warnings, if there are any, will be posted in the chapter summary of that specific chapter! THIS STORY IS A SEQUEL! PLEASE READ "SOMETHING ABOUT WHISKEY" FIRST! THANK YOU :)





	1. Silence in the Heart

**_Fall_ **

   
            My mother stands before me with tears rolling down her face. I feel numb, like all of my emotions have been sucked out of my body. I'm frozen in my place as the shock runs throughout my body, taking control of all of my functions and thoughts. I never wanted to hear those words. Tyler was strong, he was always so strong... and now he's dead. I hoped and prayed he would make it home safely, I hoped he would be safe and well taken care of wherever he went. None of that meant anything. It meant _nothing_ and there is not a damn thing I can do about. I cannot go back in time, I cannot stop him from leaving. He's dead and I will never be able to see him again.  
            My brother and I were once very close. A ridiculous argument broke out just before he joined the military and I, no matter where I am or what I am doing, always find myself regretting that day. We have not seen or talked to each other for about fifteen years out of stubbornness and now, now that my mother is standing on my porch with a tissue crumpled in her hand and an expression that only reads gut wrenching grief and guilt, I know my chances of making things up with him no longer exist. Any and all chances died with him and I’m not sure if I can ever be okay with that.  
            “Cody? Who is it?" Robert calls from the couch curiously.  
            I momentarily glance back at the man who is sat rather grumpily on the couch and I blink a handful of times, at a loss for words. I feel as if my brain has stopped working. I hear my mother sniffle and almost unwillingly, I look back at her with a solemn expression, feeling my heart sink lower and lower with each passing second. Wordlessly, I step aside and gesture for my mother to enter my home and she does, pausing awkwardly in the entry way as Robert gives her a funny look. I close the door and stiffly guide my mother to the living room, avoiding the curious looks from my fiancé. _This is happening… This is happening now…_ _  
_             "Robert, this is Julia. She's my mother." I choke out, gesturing between the two as I sit her on the opposite couch and take my place beside Robert, recoiling away from my mother as if she’s some kind of poison. Robert goes to say something to her, but she cuts him off long before he can get words out. This was not the way I wanted to introduce them to each other. In fact, I would have much preferred it if they never met. There are reasons why I do not talk to my mother on a regular basis. There are reasons why I moved my family away from her and my father.  
            "I was unaware you were still... That you had..." Julia attempts, looking just as confused as Robert.  
            I clear my throat awkwardly, afraid of the memories that this confirmation will bring up. "Yes, I am still a bisexual man and Robert is my fiancé. We have been together for a while now.”  
            Both Robert and my mother stiffen up at the phrasing of my words. Robert stiffens because he suddenly understands an unspoken truth, whereas my mother reacts this way out of shock. She never did understand my sexual orientation and she often blamed Alex when I started hanging out with her. Not that it made much sense considering Alex was a straight woman, but Alex was also free spirited and carefree... Something my mother disapproved of. Julia always wanted me to be with someone who had their life together, not with somebody who wore skater dresses and Converse. It was sickening in her eyes to see me so happy with somebody who she considered to be less than perfect and I hated her for it. I can't count how many times she tried to pair me with the neighbor's daughter.  
            "Fiancé... I see. I wish I knew about this sooner," My mother muses, her eyes narrowing at me as if I offended her or as if me being engaged to a man makes her uncomfortable.  
            I roll my eyes with irritation, not in the mood to have this conversation with her again. Not only do I not want to have this conversation, but I would also prefer to not have it in front of Robert because he knows nothing about my family and how awful my mother really is. "Can we please just discuss the reason why you came here? Tyler is dead, right? Killed in action?" I spat, venom in my voice.  
            My mother sits up straight, too straight for it to be comfortable, and uses the balled tissue in her hand to mop up more tears. "Yes, right... Tyler was killed in action. They say he went down protecting the others, he went down fighting. That’s the way he would have wanted it. Your brother was always a fighter," She recalls.  
            I can tell Robert wants to extend his hand out time mine just by the way his hand twitches, but I can also tell he is unsure of what to do in front of Julia who is clearly another one of those people who keep their minds closed and hates anything remotely gay. Normally, he would not care about such people, but this is my  _mother_ and not some random person in the street or bar. I have a feeling he wants to avoid giving her any reason to hate him more than she already does for, as she would put it, what he is.  
            "And his funeral? When is that?" I ask through clenched teeth as I attempt to keep my composure.  
            She once again narrows her eyes on me and I have a creeping suspicion of where this will go. While her eyes are red and puffy from all of the crying she has been doing for only god knows how long, there is something deeply condescending and off-putting about the way she's looking at me now. I suppose this is coming from the years of no communication and rejected offers to reconnect, but I cannot bring myself to care or even think about that right now. This is supposed to be about Tyler, not my broken relationship with my mother.  
            "Cody, your brother... H-He... He stated in his will that he doesn't want you to..." She tries to explain, trailing off in the end.  
            I flinch as the meaning of the words settle in. Robert decides that he no longer cares about what my mother thinks and offers his hand to mine, which I take gratefully. My brother, my own brother, does not want me at the funeral. I should have expected it. He was so angry the day we fought and I was angry too, I just never thought that would be my last chance to tell him that I loved him. He meant so much to me when I had him in my life. I looked up to him and he taught me how to take care of myself. He was my only friend for the longest time and I lost it. I lost everything with him.  
            "Fine... Is that all? Or can you leave now?" I question harshly, not caring about the tone of my voice.  
            My mother is appalled by how cold I'm being towards her and she makes no attempt to hide it. "Olivia is pregnant, Cody," She states firmly.  
            "And? Am I supposed to care about that or something?" I pry, not caring at all for Olivia or anything regarding her. Olivia and I share a history that I never want to revisit. She means nothing to me and she only ever wanted one thing from me, something I was not willing to give.  
            "And she's going to give the baby up, Cody. She doesn't want it now that Tyler is gone and quite frankly, I do not think she has the guts to be a mother," My mother snaps.  
            I think this through carefully, testing the waters around me. "How far along is she? What do you expect me to do about it?" I inquire, searching for more answers.  
            Robert's jaw suddenly clenches as if he understands something I do not, making my curiosity thrive. I look to him questionably, but he, instead of answering my pleading look, shakes his head and fixes his eyes onto the floor as if looking at my mother is too much for him.  
            "She's two weeks along, now. She used, and forgive me for being crude, Tyler's preserved sperm while he was away so they could get a jump-start on having a family." Julia sighs unevenly, eyes scanning the living room. "I spoke with Olivia and we both agree that we would much rather not give the child up for adoption to a random family. We agreed that it would be better if the infant could go with family instead of strangers," She concludes.  
             Julia stares at me expectantly and I stare back with bewilderment. Robert rolls his eyes and clears his throat to speak up. "She wants you to adopt the baby once Olivia gives birth to it to keep it in the family," He says in a monotone and low voice.  
            I pull my eyebrows together in confusion and any words I had planned to say are lost. She wants me to take the baby? She wants me to take the baby and raise it as my own? After everything she has put me through, she’s asking this of me? No, I don’t want to send the baby away, but this very sudden and out of nowhere. She comes here to tell me my brother is dead and then proceeds to pile more crap on? This, sadly, is very typical of my mother and I’m starting to remember why I never answer her calls.  
            "I know we have not been on the best terms, Cody. Olivia is going to have this child and without you, she's going to get rid of it. I'm not asking for an answer right now, you can take the full nine months to decide, but I want you to do this. I'm much too old to be a mother again and after handling Olivia for all of these years, I can safely say I never want to be a mother again. Please, just think on it." She begs with more tears welling up in her eyes, tears that are designed to guilt trip me into saying yes.  
            Without another exchange of conversation, Julia exits the house and I stare at the entry way for a long time in deafening silence. My brother is  _dead_ and I'm not even allowed to go to the funeral because of an argument that happened out of a misunderstanding and stress. Now I'm expected to take in a baby?  _His baby_? My head is spinning as I try to think through this. I don’t even know where to start. Robert won’t want to become a father again. I know he still hates himself for how he was with Val and I couldn’t possibly ask him to try again for me.    
            I had not realized I was crying until Robert shifts to pull me against his chest. My tears soak his shirt and I subconsciously worry that I may be ruining it, but I can't focus enough to raise the concern. Robert affectionately rubs my back, silently comforting me as I adjust to the news. I feel so empty on the inside and the gap is slowly being filled with regret and confusion. This is too much for one day. It’s all just… too much.  
            I feel horrible for not reaching out to Tyler sooner. All I had to do was pick up the damn phone and I let time fly by until it was too late. I cannot forgive myself for this. I swore to myself I would make it up to him and fix the broken things between us and I never did. This is my fault, it has to be. The fault is mine and now I have to live with it.  
            "Do you want to stay home today? I'm sure they'll understand," Robert questions, frowning a little.  
            “I don’t know what to do, Robert,” I reply quietly, not quite answering his question.  
            There is truth in my statement. I don’t know what to do. The decision to bring in a baby is not mine to make alone. I’m getting married again, I’m getting married to Robert, and I need him to help me make this decision.  
            “I won't claim to be an expert on situations like this, but I feel like you should call in so we can talk and work through this.” Robert advises cautiously as if I could break at any moment.  
            I push away from him to wipe the tears from my face and take a few deep breaths. I need to distract myself until I can think through this clearly and carefully. And so, I decide to talk about something else. “My mother and I,” I begin quietly, “we haven’t been on the best of terms.”  
            Robert nods as if that was the most obvious thing on the planet and he almost rolls his eyes. “I gathered that from the homophobia.”  
            I push out a laugh in approval of his statement. “She was always cold towards me, but then I came out and suddenly it felt like all of the love in her heart shriveled away. She blamed Alex for how I ‘turned out’.”  
            Robert scratches the back of his head with a confused expression on his face. “But Alex was a woman? How could she have had any impact on you in that way?”  
            I wipe away another loose tear and bite back a smile. Talking about Alex has been significantly easier since I let her go a little over a year ago. I’m no longer held down by the grief and pain that sprouted from her death. “Alex was free spirited. My mother is a very formal and conservative woman and she hated the idea of a girl wearing dresses above the knees and things like tattoos. When I brought Alex home for the first time, I could tell my mother hated her and that hate never went away. It was particularly bad when we had to tell her Alex was pregnant with Amanda.”  
            Robert snorts and extends his hand out to mine again, which I take in both of mine. “I guess that explains why you never told me about her. She sounds awful.” I glance over at my fiancé and smile just a bit. I still get that feeling of butterflies every time I look at him, it’s the same feeling I felt when I first saw him. It’s a blessing to be able to wake up next to him every morning and to be able to call him mine after everything.  
            “What are we going to do, Robert?” I ask in a broken voice as the feelings of confusion and grief come creeping back into my mind.  
            My fiancé sighs and adjusts his broken ankle on the table slowly to avoid hurting himself. “We do nothing for right now. You need time to relax and call the studio to let them know you won’t be coming in until, at least, next week.” He says sternly.  
            I silently nod and pull my phone out to send a quick email to excuse myself from work until I can get my head on straight again. There’s no way I can do any recordings in the state I’m in. As much as I do not want to admit, Robert is right. I do need to relax and I really need to clear my mind so I can talk about all that just happened without breaking down. The regret and grief I feel is not going to just magically vanish. I need to sort through it and make sure I do not lose my mind in the process. Unresolved grief will get me nowhere.  
            “I think I need to take a shower to relax or something. I feel weighed down and groggy,” I conclude, frowning a bit.  
            Robert nods in approval, looking over at me with worry in his eyes. “Do you want me to join you?” He asks.  
            Silently, I nod and rise from the couch. I help Robert stand and give him his crutches, only letting his move when I’m confident he’s balanced. As he climbs the stairs, I keep my hand on the small of his back and take one step at a time until we reach the top. Since I moved in, the house has been a lot cleaner and looks better than what I knew it to look. Robert and I do a pretty good job at keeping it clean and orderly. It’s a nice change and Val appreciates the cleanliness.  
            In the bathroom, I start the water and pull my shirt off. Robert undresses carefully and wraps his cast in one of the plastic bags his doctor gave him to protect it from the water. With more of my help, he gets under the water with me and I close the glass door to prevent the heat from getting out. Robert, a week ago, brought a plastic chair into the shower so he wouldn’t have to stand and risk hurting himself, but he seems to be refusing to sit right now. Instead, He leans against the wall and puts an arm around my waist to pull me close. I scoff in disapproval, but nestle closer to him nevertheless. He kisses the top of my head gingerly, just to let me know he’s there for me.  
            Robert and I have been taking a lot of showers together for about a year now. Most of the time it’s not even about having sex or getting off on each other when we do it. We just find comfort and closeness in a place so intimate. I’m not sure when it started, but I think it started happening a lot more right around the time I moved in. Robert could not keep his hands off of me for weeks after that. If he wasn’t holding my hand, he was cuddling with me on the couch or spooning me in bed. It was a little ridiculous, but I never complained because I liked having him so close. Even now, he still likes to be just as close and I’m always grateful for it.  
            “You should be sitting down. You're going to hurt yourself again,” I scold, kissing the crook of his neck.  
            Robert shrugs and tightens his grip on my waist, looking down on me as his hair flattens from the water. I push it off of his forehead, smiling at how adorable he looks.  
            “We’ll figure this out, okay? I honestly don’t know how I feel about being a dad again, but I’m willing to talk about it,” He says honestly.  
            I nod and bite the inside of my cheek to offset the threatening tears. I almost hate myself for feeling so consumed by my grief, but I know I cannot ignore it. I learned a lot from when I grieved Alex and I’m not about to let myself fall into the same footsteps. Feeling worse suddenly, I let the tears slip free and Robert wipes them away. He angles my chin upwards and kisses me warmly and deeply. There’s nothing sexual about it, there’s nothing but comfort here. I lean into the kiss as much as I can without putting my weight on him and weave my hands into his thick wet hair.

For now, things will be okay. For now, I can be at peace.  
But this is just the start of a long road and can only hope we can pull through in the end of it all.


	2. A Walk to Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody wakes up in the middle of the night and decides to head to Jim and Kim's where he finds Mary. Afterwards, he goes off on a walk and runs into some trouble. 
> 
> CHAPTER WARNING (CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS): There will be violence at the end of the chapter and a gun is involved. Somebody gets shot.

            In the darkness of the room, I stir awake and slowly open my eyes to look up at the ceiling. Everything is quite except for the comforting sounds of Robert’s shallow breathing as he sleeps. At the foot of the bed, our dogs sleep soundly cuddled together. Max is full grown now and yet, Betsy still mothers her whenever she can catch the chance. I turn my gaze to Robert, who is lying on his stomach with his arms stuffed under the pillow. His hair is a mess from constantly rolling around and being restless, which is something I notice he does when he’s under stress. I try to hold him when he's like this, but we have been falling asleep at different times lately and that makes comforting hard on both ends.   
            It has been three days since my mother showed up to the house with her news. The more I think on it, the more I feel myself panic. Can I really be a father again? Will Amanda be okay with having a little sibling? Robert has not said much about how he feels, but I know Robert and I know exactly what is going through is mind. He hated himself for so long for how he handled Val as she grew up. He could not stand himself and I still remember how shocked he was when he found out Val wanted to repair their relationship. The idea of becoming a father again terrifies him. I know those deeply woven fears are still there and they will become very real again if we agree to take in the baby.  He will be afraid of screwing up again and I have no doubt in my mind that he’s worried about how Val would take it. This baby would essentially get everything she did not.  
            Silently, I slip out of the warm bed and put on the clothes I had on before changing into pajamas. As I’m buckling my belt, I look down on Robert and feel my heart grow warm. After everything we’ve been through, I’m getting married to this man in less than three days. It still blows my mind, but I would not change a single thing. He’s mind and I am his. That's how it's meant to be.  
            After grabbing my phone from the night stand, I exit the bedroom and make my way down the staircase. Thankfully, the dogs do not follow me and it sounds like Robert is still asleep. I don’t usually decide to go on walks in the middle of the night anymore, but I need to get some air tonight. I feel like I have been suffocating ever since I saw my mother. Being around her always brings up nasty memories and puts me in a bad mood.  
            The brisk air prickles my skin as I walk and so I zip my jacket and shove my hands into my pockets to keep my warmth. Growing up in my house was never easy. My brother always got all of the praise because he was bigger and stronger and into sports. I was the dorky kid who fell in love with the arts and I never enjoyed the idea of playing sports. I can watch it just fine, but playing it always seemed terrifying to me.  
            My father was a proud man. He knew what he wanted for his boys and he damn near screamed with joy when Tyler said he was joining the military. His eldest boy was going off to serve his country and I was staying home to continue with my music and paintings. My father did not enjoy that at all. He was disappointed in me and that was evidently what caused the argument between Tyler and me.  
            I was angry with him for deciding to leave me. Growing up, Tyler and I were inseparable and I always had my big brother to look up to. He always had my back when our parents were being… less than desirable… and he always encouraged my work in the arts. I was so angry when he told me he was going off to the military. I hated him for it.  
            I felt like he did not understand what leaving would do to me. I had just found that Alex was pregnant and with Tyler gone, he would be leaving me alone to handle our parents and what would soon be my little girl. Things got very heated between us. He listened to me yell until I was blue in the face, but he eventually snapped and started yelling too. That’s where the argument took a turn for the worst.  
            He could not believe how selfish I was being. How could I be so cold towards my big brother who did everything to make sure I would be okay? He told me that he sacrificed everything for me and truth be told, he did. He always bent over backwards for me and I destroyed a perfect relationship out of a fit of anger. He was not joining the military to please our father like I thought he was. He was joining the military for me. He was joining to help pay for my schooling. Any paycheck he got would have been directed to my tuition because he knew how important it was for me to go. And I destroyed it, it destroyed it all.  I was being selfish. I saw myself become somebody I never wanted to become. I saw myself become my parents.  
            After that night, we pretty much stopped talking even though we put in the effort to at least try. He was around long enough to see Amanda be born and he got to hold her once before going off to training. I never really saw him again after that. I hated not talking to him, but I could not bring myself to send him a letter. No apology on earth could make up for what I did. I sat in regret for years and now that I look back on it, now that he’s dead, I regret it with every fiber in my body.  
            It’s sad to think about never seeing him again. I always had a little hope that we would one day fix what was broken and I let days turn into weeks and weeks into months and months into years. I won’t be allowed at the funeral, which has been sitting wrongly in my mind. I would do anything to say goodbye to him one last time. I never got to do it when he left for the military. I couldn’t bring myself to go to the airport to see him off. I hate myself for it every day.  
            My mother never forgave me either. My parents, of course, heard the argument as it was happening. My father would not speak to me about it, but my mother sure did. She made it a point to remind me how much of a disappointment I am to her. She blamed me for the family blowing up, even though, in my opinion, it was pretty broken already at that point. I spoke before I understood everything and said some very terrible things to the one person who always protected me. It’s a guilt that I have learned to live with. If I had the chance to go back and fix the wrongs I did, I would… but I know that will never happen. The things I did are in the past and now I have to think about the future. For example, the baby I’m supposed to take in and my wedding.  
            In just three days, I will be giving up my name to take on Robert’s. Our friends and what family we invited will be showing up to see us be happy together. When Robert and I were initially planning our wedding, we came to the conclusion that we should wait. We decided to wait nearly two years and now the day is around the corner and I can hardly contain myself. I’m getting married to Robert Small.  
            Smiling to myself, I open the door to Jim and Kim’s and feel instantly welcomed into the calm atmosphere. Neil is behind the counter cleaning glasses, but sat at the bar is a woman I have not spoken to for a couple of weeks. I walk over to her and take a seat on the stool next to hers, flagging Neil down for a drink. Mary looks over at me and I notice her fake eye roll of annoyance. Mary is still Mary even if she’s drinking a hell of lot less.  
            “What dragged you here so late, Sailor? Is Robert snoring too loud?” She asks, sipping slowly on her wine afterwards.  
            Neil slides me a glass of whiskey and I wrap my hands around it, allowing myself to look back over at Mary. She seems tired tonight and deep down I wonder if something happened between her and Joseph. The two of them have been separated for some time now, but they still have to see each other on a regular basis to bounce the kids between houses. Mary won soul custody of her kids and a chill runs down my spine when I think back to the custody battle. That was a very _rough_ time.  
            “My estranged brother is dead and my witch of a mother expects me to take in his baby when it’s born,” I blurt without thinking.  
            Mary’s eyes widen and she brings her glass to her lips to take a long drink. “Holy shit, kid. Lay it on thick, why don’t you?” She coughs as she flags Neil down for another glass. I sigh deeply and take a long drink of my whiskey to burn away the feeling of guilt that is creeping up in my throat.  
            “How is Robert handling all of that? That seems like a lot to handle before a wedding.” Mary questions, turning in her stool to face me.  
             A small laugh slips past my lips when I realize just how stressed I am about all of this. “He hasn’t said anything about it, but I know he’s freaking out. You know how he feels about being a father. You heard that drunken speech about never becoming a dad again.” I respond almost bitterly.  
            Mary nods as she recalls the speech I’m referencing. I don’t think anyone could forget that night. It was not a good one and it took hours to get Robert home. “If I’m being honest, I think Robert just has his panties in a bunch. There’s no way you’d let him get like that again. Do you want to take the baby in?” Mary wonders.  
            I drink more of the whiskey and think for a moment. Who would have thought I would be sitting at Jim and Kim’s in the middle of the night talking with Mary about all of this. “I really don’t know. Olivia, the mother, is just going to give the baby up and I have no idea what Robert wants because he won’t talk about it and-”  
            “-I’m going to stop you there, Sailor,” Mary interrupts, “do _you_ want the baby?” She presses analytically.  
            Deep down, I know what I want and my answer is flying out of my mouth before I can stop it. “Yes. Yes, I want the baby.”  
            Mary gives me a knowing look and I groan, covering my face with my hands as I do. I _want_ this baby. I _want_ to be father again. It feels so weird to say that out loud. I never thought I would have another potential shot at parenthood and now that I have this offer, I don’t know what to do with myself.  
            “I think that’s the only answer you need, kid. Talk to Robert and I’m sure everything will work out,” Mary advises confidently.  
            I do not know how this woman is always so confident with her advice. Sometimes I actually fear she’s a witch or an oracle of some kind. “But what if Robert doesn’t want the baby? What do I do then?” I ask as the familiar feelings of fear creep up my spine.  
            Mary shakes her head and places a hand firmly on my shoulder. “Since you moved here, you have been rocking Robert’s world. He’s a completely different man now because of you. I know if he hears that you want this baby, he will get on board with it. He may have trouble adjusting to the idea of it, but you can help him through that. You guys deserve to be happy and I know Robert, deep down, would love to be a dad again,” She says sternly in an oddly comforting voice.  
            “I can’t believe this is all happening so close to the wedding. My mother doesn’t expect an answer any time soon, but damn it, Mary. I just want things to be okay for once.” I confess, ultimately defeated.  
            Mary nods as if she understands and honestly, I think she does. This woman has been through a lot of stuff and it wouldn’t surprise me if she has been through something similar to my situation at point in her life.  
            “Everything will be fine.”

>             One of the things I promised Amanda when she was a baby was that I would always be her dad no matter where she goes in life. I promised her that I would always be there for her when she needed me and I promised her that if she ever needed a place to go, she could always come find me. As I watched her grow up, I quickly realized that I need her a lot more than she needs me.  
            After Alex died, I felt like I lost everything. I had no will to keep trying anymore and I felt empty. Amanda was there to put my pieces together again and I think, somehow, going through all of that brought us closer. I had a lot to learn and I had to make a lot of changes, but Amanda was always there to guide me through it all even though she was still grieving her mother. At times, I feel guilty for putting so much on her on such a young age. She never needed to see that broken side of me and for as old as she was, she handled it remarkably well. She understood that I was having a hard time adjusting to Alex being gone and somehow, she knew that all I needed was time.  
            For months I felt like the worst parent on the planet. On top of the depression, we were also struggling financially and I honestly don’t know how we pulled through that period. I hardly had enough money to buy milk, let alone pay the rent. One day, Amanda came home carrying a big box of garden supplies. She told me that she found her old piggy bank and used that money to buy a bunch of seeds and supplies so we could start growing out own food. I hardly knew it at the time, but her thinking on her feet like that was what saved us from becoming homeless. Saving the smallest amount of money saved our asses.  
           I don’t know what brought that memory up. I think my mind is trying to think of things other than the things I need to think about to distract me. Any time I think about the baby, my brother, or my mother, I suddenly feel waves of intense grief, regret, and confusion. These emotions are normal, I know, but they are certainly not something I _want_ to feel. If I could, I would skip this process altogether. The last thing I need is to be grieving on my wedding day.  
            As I look around, I suddenly realize I have no idea where I am. I think I’m somewhere in downtown Maple Bay, but I do not recognize this area at all. There are neon lights everywhere and there are a few cars parked on the side of the street that appear to be abandoned. I should turn around and go back the way I came, but a sound catches my attention. What sounds like whimpering is coming out of an alleyway just a few feet in front of me. My gut is telling me to turn around now, though I find myself walking forward anyways despite the pangs of fear I feel. Glancing around the corner, I see a woman pressed against the brink wall as a man pins her there and tries to wrestle her bag out of her arms. I reach into my back pocket for my phone, but I don’t feel it there. It’s gone.  
            Freaking out, I try to recall where my phone could be and suddenly realize I left it at the bar on the counter. Unsure of what I’m about to do, I step into plain view and catch the gaze of the woman who has tears running down her cheeks and a haunting look in her eye. The man punches her in the stomach, hard enough to make her double over. Before I know it, words are flying out of my mouth.  
            “Hey! Get away from her,” I demand.  
            Adrenaline is pumping through my veins now and my heart is hammering hard against my chest. _I should have turned around_. The man takes a step away from the woman and she instantly slides to the ground, no longer able to stay standing. Now that I’m closer, it’s clear that she has been badly beaten.  
            “This is none of your business, buddy. I suggest you turn around,” The man says threateningly. Nothing I can say or do will get me out of this now, so if I’m going to be here, I might as well try and do something right for the sake of the woman. And who knows, maybe I’m being reckless and stupid for doing this, but I cannot let the woman die. Not here, not right now. I have this one chance to save her. _This is not the time for heroics, Cody. Leave while you still can.  
_             “And you have no business trying to rob this woman,” I argue as I feel my hands clench into tight fists.  
            That’s when the man pulls an object out of the waistband of his pants. He points the object at the woman and I realize that it’s a gun. “I will shoot this woman if you do not leave. I mean it, pal,” The man intimidates darkly as he cocks the gun.  
            I watch the gun carefully for a moment, knowing I have three options. I either let the woman get shot, turn around and leave, or try and take the gun. I know none of these options will end well, but I have to do _something_. Even with these options, I do not have a choice. I cannot leave and I’m not going to let this woman die. Before I know it, I’m launching myself forward and tackling the guy to the ground. The gun fires once, but the bullet goes into the building.  
            “Get the fuck off of me! I’m going to fucking kill you!” The man yells as he slams his fist into my jaw.  
            I shake my head to clear the black dots in my vision and make a grab for the gun. The man shoves me off of him and hits me hard with the gun, but I do not falter with my task. I make a grab for it and he shoves me back, hard enough for me to hit my head on the dumpster. Now dazed, I feel as if my body weighs a million pounds. The man gets up on his knees and points the gun at me, firing twice. He then drops the gun and gets up to walk away, never once looking back on me or the woman.  
            As my vision starts to blur, I see the woman making attempts to speak to me. I believe she’s trying to thank me, but everything sounds muffled and quiet. As I start to slump over, I see my own blood start to pool around me on the cement. I don’t know where I was shot and I cannot lift my head up long enough to check. At some point, I fall over onto my side and as I fight to stay conscious, I start to hear the sirens. Help is on the way. I can make it.  
            Though, before too long, I am pulled under and lose consciousness. I can only hope the police find us in time and get us the help we need. Maybe I was stupid for not turning back, maybe this is what I deserve, but I do not regret it. I saved a life tonight. And somehow, even though I’m bleeding out on the cold cement of an alleyway somewhere in downtown Maple Bay, all I can think about is how grumpy Robert is going to be when he wakes up and doesn’t have his coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My hand slipped and now Cody is DYING. GAH. I'm sorry. I'm also sorry that this is not the worst thing that will happen in the story. It just comes pretty close. I think it ranks #2. #1 is much worse.  
> -I'm trying really hard to get these chapters out as quickly as I can. Thank you to those who are being patient with me.


	3. When Sorry Fails me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody wakes up in the hospital after nearly dying from being shot in an alleyway. He quickly realizes just how badly he managed to mess things up by not choosing to walk back home when he initially told himself to.

            I startle awake to the strong smell of disinfectant and hand sanitizer. The smell burns my airways as I breathe in deeply for the first time in what feels like forever. The room is silent apart from my staggered breathing and the sound of something beeping in a steady rhythm. I slowly open my eyes, squinting in attempt to look at the objects around me. For a few seconds, everything is distorted by the bright lights that reside on the ceiling. I glance around and examine the pale yellow walls and the insanely white sheet that covers my fatigued body. How long have I been here? I shut my eyes, trying to remember what had exactly happened. Then it all hits me like a ton of bricks. I know what happened... how could I forget?  
            After I left the bar, I went out for a walk. I realized I did not know where I was after a while, only that I was in downtown Maple Bay, and I told myself to turn back, but then I heard the woman getting attacked. The man, the attacker with a gun, shot me. He shot me twice and left me to die beside the dumpster. I was lying in a pool of my blood and my face was against the cold cement of the ground, growing numb with time. And now I'm here. I'm in this hospital room with no recollection of how I got here and for how long I have been here.  
            My neck is stiff, but I manage to turn my head to the left to find Robert sitting in a beat up wooden chair beside my bed. He's fast asleep and his head hangs low and off to the side a bit; his neck will be bothering him if he does not move soon. He has bags under his eyes and his arms are crossed over his chest, it's clear he has been here for a while. His hair seems a little longer than I remember, it's shaggier and it's starting to curl at the ends again. I can only imagine what he went through when he woke up and I was not in bed with him that morning like I was supposed to be.  
            Hesitantly, I extend my hand out and nudge his knee to stir him awake. I don’t want to wake him because he looks so tired, but I need answers and I will not get them by staring at the walls. The few attempts I give don't work as they only managed to get a few grunts out of him in response. He's probably exhausted and needs to be sleeping at home in our bed... "Robert, wake up," I urge, which makes me realize just how dry my throat is.  
            At the sound of my voice, Robert jolts awake and, almost immediately, his eyes lock with mine. In that moment, it's as if all stress leaves him and he seems more than happy to see me awake. Though, the longer he stares at me, I start to see the anger I feared I would. I remember thinking that if I ever survived getting shot, I would be both lucky and in trouble because there is no way Robert would be happy about it.  
            "It's good to see you awake, Codes. I was starting to wonder if you would ever wake up," He says almost cheerfully in a joking matter.  
            The way he looks at me now makes me realize just how terrified he must have been. What went through his head when the hospital called him? I know Robert and I know he’s using comedy as a line of defense. It seems comedy is everyone’s first line of defense when it comes to covering up true emotions. And Robert? He’s a pro at it. I have seen it time and time again... I hurt him so badly.  
            "How long have I been here?" I ask nervously, almost afraid to hear the answer.  
            Robert stands and moves to sit on the edge of my bed carefully. He shrugs out of his leather jacket and sets it beside him and I reach out to rest my hand over his. Robert nearly flinches at my touch, but proceeds with his answer nevertheless as if nothing happened. "Uh, Cody... You've been in and out of consciousness for about two weeks now." Robert confesses uneasily.  
            My eyes widen with shock. "Two weeks? Oh my god. Robert, I'm so sorry. The wedding..." I sputter as anxiety courses through my veins.  
            Robert shakes his head dismissively as if he's rejecting what I said. "Amanda is at the house. She came a few days after I called her. She was worried... we were all worried."  
            I had not thought of Amanda. She's my only daughter and I almost left her like her mother did. I feel like the world is weighing down on me now. I missed my damn wedding over this mess. I made my friends, my fiancé, and my daughter worried sick because I did not turn around and go back home when I should have. I created a mess.  
            "Robert, I am so sorry. I never meant to scare anyone or get hurt. I'm sorry I messed up the wedding and everything else," I apologize frantically.  
            Robert gently grabs a hold of the hand that I had on top of his. He sighs and cracks a half-smile, leaning down to leave a soft kiss on my lips. "I want to be mad at you for leaving like that. You have no idea how angry I want to be with you," He admits, making my heart sink. "Just promise me you will never do that again. I need to know that I can count on your to not get yourself killed."  
            I look up at him with worry in my eyes. I never wanted to hurt him like this.  "I promise, Robert. I won't be stupid like that ever again. I wanted to turn around, but I was so focused on saving her. I couldn't let it happen."  
            My fiancé peels back the sheet that covers me and slides the hospital gown up to my mid torso. Down by my left hip are two big white bandages that cover my wounds. I stare at them wordlessly, unsure of what to say or do. I'll carry those scars for the rest of my life as a reminder of what happened. I saved a woman's life, but I nearly lost my own in the process.  
            "When they found you, you were barely alive. They managed to get you here just in time and you were in surgery for a few hours. When they finished with what they were doing, you were still in critical condition, but alive. About three days ago, they had to do another procedure," Robert explains calmly. "As for the guy that shot you, they caught him and arrested him. I handled all of the required police stuff and because they have enough evidence on the guy from previous crimes, they won't require you to give a statement. I'm not exactly sure how legal that is, but whatever. It's done and handled. I've been here taking care of you pretty much every day and we can go home once the doctor makes sure you're alright. You got so lucky, Cody."  
            Suddenly a wave of emotion washes over me and I feel tears threatening to fall from my eyes. Robert pulls my gown back down and helps me sit up against the pillows on my bed. My head feels woozy and really, my entire body feels light in weight. Before I know it, Robert collapses against me while being mindful of where I'm healing. I wrap my arms around him and rest my cheek against the top of his head.  
            "You scared me, Codes. They didn't know if you would make it. And I didn't know what I was going to do if I lost you," Robert admits with a shaking voice. I feel horrible about all of this and I don’t know what to do to make it better. Robert eventually pulls himself from me reluctantly and when the doctor walks through the door, he stands from the bed with his leather jacket in hand.  
            “It’s certainly good to see you’re awake, Mr. Prescott. My name is Dr. Carson. I’m just going to do final checks and give you a rundown of what you need to get better and then I’ll send you on your way.”  
            I nod as the doctor starts his examinations of my wounds and motor skills. As he does this, he talks on and on about my prescriptions and eventual physical therapy if I, by the end of the healing process, do not heal all the way. My eyes wander over to Robert from time to time and in reality, I’m only half listening to what Dr. Carson is telling me. I know I should be listening to every detail, but I can’t help but think about Robert, the wedding, and my daughter.  
            By the time Dr. Carson leaves the room, I’m already anxious to get out of here. Robert grabs a backpack from the arm chair in the corner of the room and pulls out a set of clothes for me. I allow him to help me stand, which consistes of sliding an arm around my lower back and me grabbing his available forearm for support. Once on my feet, Robert unties the gown from the back and lets it drop to the floor.  
            Feeling more than exposed, I hurry up and throw the dark blue long sleeve shirt on. However, I fail to get my pants on without causing myself pain. Robert frowns and lowers down into a squat to help me get my legs into the sweatpants before gradually pulling them up to my waist. Lastly, as I am getting my jacket on, Robert puts my shoes on for me and ties them.  
            When Robert is standing again, I throw my arms around him and squeeze my eyes shut. His arms dangle at his sides out of momentary shock, but he eventually reciprocates by hugging me back as tightly as he can without hurting me. “Let’s get your ass home. The dogs miss you and I want to sleep in an actual bed tonight,” Robert urges in a tired voice.  
            The woman at the check-out desk provides a warm smile to Robert while I fill out the necessary paperwork for discharge. It occurs to me that I have no idea what time it is, but one glance at the clock tells me it’s late and it’s a wonder how Robert is even functioning at this hour with the amount of sleep he has been living off of.  
            In the parking lot, I spot Robert’s beat up red truck parked as close as it can get to the building. He helps me get into it before walking to his own side to start the engine and get going. The closer we get to home, the more worn out he seems to get. I, of course, blame myself for him being exhausted. None of this would have happened if I had just listened to myself initially. Now rather upset with myself, I focus on the road and mindlessly allow my hind to find Robert’s thigh. He tenses up at the touch and looks down on it with wonder, brushing his hand against my own in a reassuring manner.  
            At the house, I exit the truck with ease and go straight to the door.  Robert is a few paces behind me as he fiddles with the keys to find the one that belong to the house. On the other side of the door, I can hear the familiar sound of the dogs running about the house, which is a bit odd given the hour. They’re usually asleep right now. For safety reasons, Robert goes in first to settle the dogs down and then I follow once he says to. Both of the dogs can hardly keep their tongues in their mouths, for they feel an undying compulsion to lick my face off. I give both of the dogs equal attention for as long as they require it, pats and kisses included, and when they scurry off, I glance around the living room with heavy eyes. Despite the fact that I slept for nearly two weeks straight, I still feel worn out and tired.  
            “Is Amanda in the guest bedroom upstairs?” I ask quietly.  
            Robert nods and we both make our way over to the staircase. “Yeah, I cleaned it up once we got her flight scheduled about a week and a half ago. She was about to drive here when I told her the news, but I didn’t want her to drive here with the mindset she was in.” He explains carefully.  
            The relationship Robert has developed with Amanda has grown very strong over the past year and a half. They text each other constantly and I would bet all of the money I have in my bank account that they’re actually conspiring to take over the world one day. Amanda has grown to love Robert as her step-father and Robert has, as well, started to love Amanda as his soon to be step-daughter. I’m glad they have the relationship they do. It gives me some piece of mind that Amanda has somebody to go to when I’m busy with my new job. Once we get to the second floor, I pause in front of the guest bedroom. Robert sees my hesitance and gestures down the hallway to our room.  
            “I’m gonna get into bed, but I’ll wait for you before I pass out,” He tells me quietly.  
            I nod and silently open the guest bedroom door to find my daughter fast asleep on the full-sized bed. Her suitcase is open and messy on the floor beside the closet and her textbooks are stacked on the bedside table. I hate that she had to take time away from school to come down here, but it’s nice to see my kid again. Being as quiet as possible, I walk across the room and sit down on the edge of the bed. Gently, I nudge her shoulder to ease her out of her sleep and a smile grows on my face as she grumbles about kicking me in the face if I don’t stop.  
            “And here I thought you’d want to see me,” I joke with a soft laugh.  
            Amanda’s eyes snap open and she props herself up onto her elbows in surprise. “Dad? You’re home?” I nod and suddenly she flings herself on me for a hug. I grunt at the initial impact of it, surprised that she reacted so quickly.  
            “I was so worried. Robert called and I started freaking out. I’m so glad you’re okay,” She spills honestly.  
            Amanda falls back onto the mattress and I push some of her hair from her face to get a better look at her through the dark. It’s still strange to think that she’s no longer my little girl anymore.  
            “We can talk more tomorrow. I just wanted you to know I’m home and okay. Get some sleep, kiddo,” I coax calmly.  
            My not so little girl nods and I pull myself from her bed, closing the door behind me as I leave. Making my way through the dark, I enter my bedroom and kick the door shut. Robert is sitting on the edge of the bed with a glass of water and some pills in his hand. Once I get closer, he hands me both items and I take the medication like I’m supposed to, nearly choking on one of the pills as I do.  
           “Do I still have a job or should I call Mat to see if he’ll take me back at the Coffee Spoon?” I ask bitterly.  
            Robert gives me an apologetic look that basically confirms that I am, in fact, jobless. “I argued with them for about two hours, but they already made up their minds and found a solid replacement for you. Then I went down to the Coffee Spoon and spoke to Mat and the job is there for you when you’re ready to get back to work.” He clarifies.  
            I sigh deeply and sit on the edge of the bed beside Robert. “Thanks for defending my honor, Robert.” Robert starts to laugh and it take me a minute to realize that I said something similar to him when we started going out a few years ago. Joining into the laugh, I lean into him and start to fiddle with my engagement ring nervously.  
           “What are we going to do about the wedding?” I worry aloud.  
           Mentioning the wedding again seems to put Robert on edge. I almost want to take the question back, but he is already answering it before I can say anything. “I put everything on hold the day after you were admitted into the hospital. Assuming you don’t get yourself shot again, we can get married in December or mid-January,” He informs in a half-joking tone.  
           Without even thinking about it, I gently turn his face towards me and lean in to kiss him. He is reluctant to kiss me back and I wouldn’t doubt that he’s afraid of hurting me further. Before I can thoroughly think about it, I move to straddle his lap even though I really should not. Robert wraps his arms around my back to prevent me from falling backwards and as he does so, I snake my arms around his middle section.  
           “You smell like a hospital.” He complains with a scrunched up nose.  
           I snort and move in to kiss his neck. “And you smell like Mary, but do you see me complaining?” I respond with a laugh.  
           I’m not looking, but I know Robert just rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you should thank her by the way. She’s the only reason why I’m not tearing you a new one,” He grumbles.  
           I pull backwards to look at him, finding the familiar flare of anger in his eyes. “I was stupid, I know. There’s no way I can express how sorry I am, Robert.” I move off of him and kick my shoes off with clear sadness weighing on me. Robert stands and sheds his jeans and shirt, leaving him in just his boxer briefs. I watch as he walks around to his side of the bed and he catches my nervous gaze just as I start to look away.  
            “Stop it,” He snaps, making my eyes widen. “Stop feeling guilty. You just… it scared the shit out of me. I didn’t know if you were going to make it and honestly, I thought I was going to lose you like I lost Marilyn.” He confesses nearly unwillingly as he climbs into the bed and throws the comforter over himself.  
            With stiff limbs, I kick off my sweat pants and crawl in beside him, feeling the sharp pains shoot up and down my abdomen as I do. “I’m still going to feel guilty,” I argue, earning myself a groan from him. “I made us miss our wedding and managed to scare the shit out of everyone that I care about. And I lost my phone.”  
            Robert reaches over to his bedside table and picks up something, tossing it over to me immediately after. I pick it up and I am pleased to see that it is my phone, which I figured would have been stolen at the bar due to leaving it behind.  
            “Mary said you accidentally left it at the bar. She picked it up and brought it over the next day right around the time I got the call,” He informs with a yawn.              Knowing that he really needs sleep, I scoot myself close to him and hunt for his hand underneath the blanket. He, sensing my hunt, extends his hand out to me and I interlace our fingers for a sense of security for the both of us. With a sloppy mutter of a goodnight, Robert is out like a light and I, for the next several hours, stare at the ceiling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As long as I can remember to, I think I can get a chapter out every week. Thank you for continuing to read this. There is much more to come. As always, I apologize for any typos that may linger. :)
> 
> I have developed a pretty strong plot line for this story and I'm really, REALLY, excited to show you all what I have planned.


	4. Awkward Gaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody spends the day adjusting to being awake again after being brought home. 
> 
> WARNING: This will be your only smut warning. There is a smut tag in the tags and if you chose to read this, I cannot be blamed for the smut or a lack of warning. It will be randomly placed within the story, but you will always have a good idea of when it will happen. Please do not skip chapters, that kind of defeats the purpose of reading. Simply skip the part with smut if you have to. Thank you :)

            Robert stands in front of the bathroom sink with his toothbrush hanging out his mouth and his phone in his hand as he scrolls lazily through Dadbook. He's wearing his favorite sweatpants, but remains shirtless for the time being. I got up and dressed for the day hours ago, but I watch him from the bed nevertheless. My entire abdomen is sore and I feel as if I'm being ripped apart every single time I move my body, indicating it's time for me to take my pain killers. Though, despite the pain, I continue to watch Robert. Watching him go through his morning routine with his still damp hair from the shower and his sweatpants that hang low on his hips brings a small smile to my face and my fingers travel to my left hand where my engagement ring resides.  
           When I woke up from what little sleep I got last night, I took the time to observe and notice things. For instance, all last night, I failed to notice that Robert had his cast removed. I asked him about it when he woke up and he said that he got it removed about a week ago and was given a boot instead. He now wears that boot and he’s still very grumpy about it, but he knows he has to wear it to get his ankle back to total functionality. While tossing and turning all night, I also came to the realization that Amanda and Robert have been under the same roof for a while now.  
            Normally I wouldn’t worry about that, but Amanda has been around for a while and Robert has definitely been on edge lately. There were probably times he forgot to make dinner and knowing Robert, he probably lost all concept of time and came home at odd hours of the day. On top of it all, I doubt he wanted to speak with her much because of all that is happening with Val and the idea of maybe adopting a baby soon. I have no doubt in my mind that anything regarding kids is a touchy spot with him at the moment.  
            Carefully, I push myself up from the bed and make my way into the bathroom. I wrap my hands around Robert's waist and hold myself close to his body that is still warm from his shower. Subconsciously, I breathe in the smell of his body wash that lingers on his skin and my fingers gently press against his hip bones. Robert, in response, finishes up with his tooth brushing and sets his phone down. He looks back at me through the mirror and I catch his tired glance. He slept soundly last night, but it seems that he's just as worn out as the night before. He will need a few nights of good rest before he's back to normal.  
            Because moving around with his boot makes him clumsy, Robert slowly turns around and leans up against the counter to look at me properly. There's something deeply buried behind the look of content in his eyes and I know it'll come out eventually when he's ready for it. Though, for now, I lean my body against his again and kiss his waiting lips that are softer than I thought them to be. Robert kisses me back, but there is a hunger and a passion in the way he kisses me that I did not expect. He is careful about where he grabs me and walks me backwards until I come in contact with the wall. My hands gradually travel up his bare back and around to his chest, feeling his skin underneath my own. With my fingertips, I brush along the scar on his chest and Robert, in response, gives me the usual eye roll. I'm not sure where this habit started for us.  
            "We really shouldn’t be doing this right now," Robert warns carelessly as he bites down on my bottom lip.  
            "Then why don't you stop?"  
            "Because I have not had sex for two months and you haven't exactly been available to me," He complains.   
            "It has not been two months. We just... You and I..."  
            My words fall short when I realize just how right Robert is. With how busy we have been and then with me taking a two week long power nap, Robert is actually completely right. "Oh, my god. It has been two months," I confirm.  
            Robert gives me an irritated look, but the lust in his eyes is enough to make me woozy. When he leans in to kiss me, our hips clash together and I gasp as the sharp pain ripples up and down my side. Robert jolts backwards with worry, immediately pulling his hands from me. He's panicked and worried and just by looking into his eyes, I truly see all that he went through. He told me, sure, but now I _see_ it. I broke his heart, made him worried, I drove him to exhaustion... I was so stupid to not turn around the moment I realized I was lost. Before I can say anything to him about it, Robert flees the bathroom. He grabs his shirt and throws it on, changing his sweatpants for a pair of jeans and socks. He's trying to escape and I know that if we do not talk about this now, it will keep getting pushed away until it's too late. I cannot let that happen to us again, not after what it did to us the first time. I will not lose him because of failure to communicate again.  
            "Robert, please wait," I call after him as flees the room.  
            Going as fast as I can, I get on his tail and hobble my way down the stairs while doing what I can to not hurt myself. "Robert, talk to me. I'm sorry for what happened," I apologize, pausing to clutch the back of a dining table chair for support.  
            Pain surges up and down my body; it really is time for my medication. Robert, however, goes straight for the kitchen and grabs a water bottle from the fridge. The expression on his face is cold and unreadable, but I know better than to judge his emotions based off of what he puts on his face. Everything I need to know is in his eyes... He's hurting. Robert looks to be on the verge of ripping me a new one, but he chokes back his anger to speak in a calmer way to deliver his point without losing his temper.  
            "You have no idea how fucking worried I was when I got that call. I woke up, you were not in bed, and then my phone rings. I thought it was you, but it was the damn hospital telling me you were shot twice and that you were going into emergency surgery." He explains venomously. "And then, of course, I had to call Amanda. Do you realize how hard it was to tell her that her dad was in the hospital because he had been  _shot_?" he continues on, jabbing a finger in the direction of the bedroom Amanda is using.  
            I move from the table to the kitchen entry way and then push myself a little further to the island. I lean against it and take a deep breath, annoyed that I'm experiencing as much pain as I am.  Angrily, Robert slides me the water bottle and two of my painkillers across the granite top. Reluctantly, I take the pills and swallow down the water before Robert even gets the chance to yell at me for procrastinating.  
            "And then I had to see you like that. You're already pale, but you were completely colorless and Amanda kept applying chapstick to help your lips... And I was there for it all, Cody," he recalls bitterly. "I was there for every bandage change, for every time they needed to change your gown, and I was there when Amanda wanted to shave your face for you. Last night was the first time I got to sleep in a bed, Codes. I was with you every moment." The mix of anger and hurt in his voice makes my heart break and sink low. I never wanted to hurt him; I never meant to get myself hurt. I want to reach out and tell him that I'll be fine, but he's on a roll now and I do not want to interrupt him while he's being honest with me. This is progress.  
            "What I cannot figure out is why you left. I tried calling you that morning, your phone was dead. So would please fucking tell me why it is you decided to leave in the middle of the night?" He questions harshly.  
            I swallow thickly and put more of my weight against the island. I feel as if I'm about to collapse with each breath and I know I should be taking it easy. The one thing I remember Dr. Carson telling me was that I am not to be on feet for long periods of times. I need to be sitting and I need to be resting. "I needed to get out and clear my head. I hadn't been sleeping and I was drowning, Robert. I couldn't get the grief and confusion off my back and I felt myself slipping back into how I was with Alex. I thought that if I went on a walk, then I could clear out some of my thoughts and be better than what I was." I confess.  
            I watch as Robert's face becomes crestfallen and I know that by me explaining why I needed to go on that walk, I also managed to make it seem like he was not doing enough to help me. Shaking my head, I walk around the island and stop just a few feet away from him. I'm unsure if he wants to be touched right now and the last thing I want to do is push him further than what he wants to go.  
            "Baby, please listen to me," I beg quietly. "You were doing more than enough to help me. You were there when I needed you, but I had some stuff I needed to work out on my own. And, yeah... I'm not better. I'm still just as confused and worried as before, but I have you to get me through it. I'm sorry I got myself hurt and, honestly, I'm upset we missed our wedding over it. But, I love you and I know somewhere in the heart of yours, you love me too. We'll work everything out."  
            Robert gives me a blank stare and deep down I'm worried that he's considering walking out on me again. To say the least, it would not surprise me if he did. I probably deserve the silent treatment.  
            "God, you're such a sap. It's nauseating," He complains before walking past those few steps in between us and capturing my lips.  
            From the staircase, I hear my daughter running down the steps and the sound comes to an immediate stop at the entrance to the kitchen. Robert pulls himself from me to busy himself with the cabinets as I turn around to face Amanda who appears to have been listening in on the conversation Robert and I were having. Wordlessly, she takes a seat on one of the barstools at the island and looks at me expectantly as if I'm supposed to tell her something.  
            "Grandma called me. She said you had something to tell me," Amanda admits when she realizes that I have no idea what she wants from me.  
            Much to my surprise, I groan and roll my eyes. Both Robert and Amanda give me a look of impassiveness and I realize that I had the reaction of a teenager being told to do a chore they do not want to do. Slightly embarrassed, I take a deep breath and readjust my attitude towards the statement.  
            "When did she do that?" I ask blandly.  
            Amanda shrugs carelessly as if the topic of her grandmother bores her. "Just before I left to come here when I was at the campus café with a friend. She said it was important. Grandma doesn't usually call me, so I figured she was being truthful."  
             She's right. Her grandmother never calls because the two of them do not have a relationship. I made sure of that and I may have been wrong for doing so, but I could not let my child be influenced by a woman like her grandmother. It would not surprise me if my mother called Amanda to try to put a divide between us.  
            "None of it really concerns you, Panda. I'm not sure why she called in the first place without talking to me. Long story short, your uncle passed away. You never really met him, but I suppose you should know." I explain simply.  
           Amanda nods, but she still wears the same look of expectancy. "She mentioned something about a baby too."  
           I nearly choke on my saliva after hearing that. My mother had no right to even mention that to Amanda and I would be lying if I said I am not pissed off about it. I have no idea how she got in contact with Amanda. Neither of them have each other's numbers nor does my mother know which school Amanda goes to.  
            "Panda, look... I know you're curious, but this is something I have to talk to Robert about before I can bring it up with you," I tell her slowly.  
            Robert freezes his rummaging to look at me over his shoulder. He probably did some thinking about the baby while I was in the hospital. Mary said I need to tell him what I want and I intend to do that as soon as I catch the chance.  
            "Can you at least tell me what it's about so I know what to look forward to when you do finally tell me?" She begs.  
            Robert and I exchange glances again and he gives me a small nod as if to encourage me to tell her. Ultimately, this concerns all of us if we go through with it and I don't want to leave my kid in the dark about it.  
            "Your aunt Olivia, the wife of the uncle who passed, is pregnant with his baby. She's not very far along, but your grandmother wants Robert and me to adopt it once it's born because your aunt doesn't want the baby anymore." I clarify with as many vague details as I can.  
            Amanda’s eyes widen with surprise. I don’t think she expected to hear that there is a chance of her getting another sibling. “Whoa, really? Are you guys going to do it?” She asks eagerly.  
           I give an uncomfortable glance at Robert who is gripping the edge of the counter as he keeps his back turned to us. His shoulders are tense and everything about his body language is sending off uneasy signals to me.  
            “That’s what I need to discuss with Robert, Panda. We’ll let you know once we’ve talked about it. You will be the first to know, I promise,” I assure her.    
            My daughter bobs her head up and down happily, her pony tail bouncing behind her head as she does. “Alright, that’s cool. Personally, I feel like you guys should do it. You’re both still young enough.” She pushes smoothly. “I’m gonna go down to Craig’s to see the twins and River. I’ll let Craig know you’re no longer Mr. Comatose.”  
            As Amanda rushes out of the room and flies out the front door, Robert turns around with subtle thumps of his boot. He leans his back against the counter top and watches the rain fall outside, making a grim face. I shuffle over to him and place my hands on his hips, feeling his hip bones press into my palms. Over the years, I have come to really love his hips. There's no reason for it in particular, I simply just find them to be one of his most attractive features.   
            “Why are you so tense, Bobert?” I ask with a faint smile on my lips.  
            He glares at me for pulling out his dreaded nickname, but thankfully decides against flicking my forehead again for calling him it. About six months ago, he started delivering flicks for every time I called him Bobert because he hoped it would stop me, but it did not and it never will. Bobert will live on.  
            “Because I know you want the baby,” He replies simply.  
            I draw my eyebrows together in confusion. “How do you know that? We’ve barely talked about it.”  
            Robert shrugs and finally looks at me. His expression is calm, but the worry still fills his eyes. I know Robert better than myself by now and I know that even the slightest thought of becoming a father again is giving him more anxiety than he knows what to do with.  
            “I know because I know you. You have always loved being around the small ones and if she wasn’t always strapped to Craig’s chest, I’m almost certain you’d try to kidnap River. You want to adopt the baby. I’m not wrong, Cody.” He explains as if me wanting the baby is written all over my forehead.  
            Dumbfounded, I stare at him and sigh quietly. “You’re right, I want the baby. But I only want if you want it too, Robert. I won’t make you do something you don’t want to do. And don't agree to it just because I want it. This has to be a decision that we make together and are both happy with.”  
            My fiancé nods along with my words, listening carefully to what I’m saying. “I need to think about it and I will, but I really want to get in your pants right now so if you’ll excuse me…”  
            As Robert trails off, he cups the side of my face and desperately brings out lips together. I pull on his belt loops to bring him closer to me, but that translated to Robert moving us towards the stairs. Just like we have a thousand times, despite my injuries and Robert’s boot, we climb the stairs with our lips locked and our hands all over each other. He kicks the bedroom door closed behind us. I want him just as much as he wants me. I _need_ him. Our time spent in bed together has been lacking and I miss the way his body feels against mine. I miss him kissing me in places where only _he_ can go, I miss him being inside of me, I miss hearing all of his moans and curses and sighs of pleasure.   
            With ease, I pull my shirt off and get myself on the bed, leaning up against the headboard for support. Robert curses as he struggles to get his pants off and he only winds up cursing more when he has to sit down on the edge of the bed to get them past his boot. He has a deep hatred for that thing I'm sure he's going to celebrate on the day he can finally take it off. Article of clothing after another, we drop everything until both of us are in only our briefs. Robert climbs the rest of the way to get on the bed and awkwardly kneels in front of me. His eyes fixate on my white bandages and his lips turn down into a frown.  
            “I think I should do most of the work,” He mumbles, reaching out to lightly touch my bandages.  
            I scoff and glance around to his boot. “You’re not exactly in prime condition either,” I remind him.  
            Robert rolls his eyes and melds our lips together as he skillfully slides his tongue into my mouth in an attempt to silence me for a hot and warm few seconds. “That may be true, but I still have a mouth in perfectly good condition. Plus, your doctor wants you to take it easy during sex. You heard the man,” He points out. This is probably not the best time to admit that I did not listen to a word my doctor said.  
           Robert lowers his mouth to my neck where he starts kissing, sucking, and biting gently. I moan softly and drag my hand down to his briefs. I shove past the elastic waistband and grab his hard and needy erection. Robert sighs with approval and lightly thrusts himself into my hand, though it seems that he has other plans because he starts to pull down my briefs.  He spreads my legs apart and with great care, he pulls me down so I lie flat on the bed. I grab his shoulders and pull him over my body to kiss me again and I think my brain slows down because all I can think about is his lips and tongue. Robert’s hands roam my body both hesitantly and eagerly, which feels a little weird and unnatural for him. He always grabs me with such certainty because he has mapped my body perfectly, but this feels wrong. He's scared.  
            “Robert... stop acting like you’ll... hurt me if you touch me... Just don’t touch the bandages,” I demand in between kisses.  
            Robert draws back and tells me to fuck off, all before his hand finds my waiting cock. I moan at the sensation of his hand pumping me up and down and although I want to raise my hips, I keep them in place in fear of hurting myself. Robert kisses trail down from my collarbone, down to my chest, down to my navel, and finally in between my hips. He, knowing that it will surprise me, latches his teeth onto the inner side of my upper right thigh. I gasp and prop myself up on my elbows so see him sucking a hickey there. _Dirty_. Proud of himself, Robert gives me one last flirtatious look before pushing my tip passed his lips. I curse and once again fight the urge to buck my hips, we have not done this for a long time. It feels so good to be in his mouth.   
            “Fuck, Robert…” I moan as I weave my fingers into his hair.  
            He expertly swirls his tongue around my tip, just enough to make the sensations spread throughout my body. Inch by inch, he takes more of me until he bottoms out and when he hums with satisfaction, the vibrations make me lose my mind. The wetness of his mouth to the way he moves his tongue, I can hardly take it. My heart is hammering and my body is nearly shaking as I fight to keep myself still. He, decided to try something different, starts to jack me off as he sucks and pays special attention my tip with his tongue. I expel all of the air in my lungs in one nearly silent moan and within new seconds, I am cumming as the orgasm rocks throughout my body Robert laughs and takes the entire load, only managing to get a little bit on his bottom lip.  
          As I lie in a daze on the bed with my heart pounding against my chest, my gaze meets with Robert’s and a dumb smile spreads on my lips. “I think I’m in love with you,” I say with a laugh.  
            Robert snorts and reaches into the nightstand to pull out the small bottle of lube from the drawer. “Yeah, well… What can I say? You make me gay.”  
           A laugh bursts from my lips and Robert starts to laugh too, giggling helplessly over something so stupid. And, for a little while, we’re okay… Everything is okay… Everything  _was_  okay.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -To those who have noticed, I did increase the amount of chapters this story will have. I did this because while the story will be roughly 20 chapters, I plan on doing a few time-stamps (Glances into the future) as well as a chapter regarding inspirations for this story and everything I experienced while writing it (I look forward to sharing all of that because it will include songs, different plot lines I had, alternative names I had for Cody, and MUCH more. For example, a Q&A and possibilities for another story).
> 
> -Not that I expect anyone to notice, but I have decided to go with the familiar Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer theme I had in Something About Whiskey. The chapters I have written and posted thus far belong in fall and if it says different in what I have posted, I will go back and make the changes. 
> 
> -ALSO, because I'm very harsh on my writing, I will be working that much harder on the next chapters. This one was not up to par with my expectations for myself and so, I will be spending more time of these than I have before. I'm currently shuffling through Finals Week, but starting Monday, I will be on Winter Break and I will have bunch of time to write. 
> 
> -I also think this will be the last fall chapter. I may throw one more in there before we leap to winter. Not sure yet. I also realize that I'm putting a lot of blatant foreshadowing into the text. Hehehehehe.


	5. The Start of an old Pattern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robert said he would think about the baby and now he has his decision, but will that decision bring back old demons that him and Cody thought would stay in the past? 
> 
> AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have had numerous problems with trying to get this uploaded. Only half the chapter was going up and I was about ready to split the chapter up until I got it to work. Thank you, Archive, for being glitch-tastic as ever.

He does not know how much I love him.  
            In all honesty, I could tell him until I'm blue in the face and the idea of it would still fly over his head. I never thought I'd fall in love with him. When I moved here, he was nothing more than my slightly terrifying and mysterious neighbor. Then I started hanging out with him and I started to see him for who he really is. Sneaking into the theater, slicing my thumb up at the view-point... I would do it all again. On our nightstand is a picture of him and I. The photo was taken a few nights after our engagement and it's probably one of the best candid photos we have of each other. We were at the Coffee Spoon laughing about something stupid when Mat took the photo from behind the counter. Robert was grumpy about it, as per usual, but I convinced him to let me keep it. We're both laughing and we're both happy, something I think we could use a lot more of in the current state of things.  
            Amanda left about a week ago to go back to school. She wanted to stay to make sure I am truly okay, but, as her father, I was not going to allow it. The last thing I want is for my kid to screw up her education when she is already so close to graduating. Just one more year and she will be done with school and moving on to start whatever project she wants to tackle next. I may be an overexcited parent, but I know she'll go far in whatever she decides to do, especially with Val backing every choice she makes.  
            Val... I wish that was a problem I could fix. She and Robert got into a heated argument a few months ago over something neither of them can remember now. They're hardly speaking now and when they do, it's nothing more than a few monotone answers and a couple of grunts here and there. I'm about to lock the both of them in a room together until they make up, but I know this is something they have to work out of their own. They've been through tougher situations and this is nothing compared to that stuff. I know they can do it.  
            It's raining outside, just like it always does this time of year. I have to make it out of the house at some point to go talk to Mat about getting my job back at the Coffee Spoon. In all honesty, I wish I never left that job in the first place. I only left because I landed a job at a recording studio, but the money wasn't right and nothing about the job was worth it. In all the jobs I have had in my life, I have never had as much fun at the Coffee Spoon as I did anywhere else. The fact that Mat is willing to hire me again means more than he'll ever know.  
            Edging off the couch, I slip into my low-top Converse and grab my hoodie that rests on the coffee table. My keys and wallet are already in the pocket of my jeans and thanks to Robert, my bandages are freshly changed. Shuffling over to the small table in the kitchen, I throw my arms around Robert and pull him close against me. He grunts and sets his cup of coffee down, glaring at me at an awkward angle. Stiffly, he allows me to hug him and have him against my chest.  
            "I'm gonna go talk to Mat about the job. I know you wanted me to wait until the stitches are out, but I need to work. I know we can live off of one income comfortably, but I need to work. I'll go insane if I don't."  
            Robert goes to pull away from my grasp, but I hold onto him and pull him against me with more force. He curses and tries again. I knew he'd be upset about this and that is why I'm choosing to hold him against me until he complies. It's almost like swaddling an angry cat.  
            "Are you going to fucking cling to me until I agree to this?" Robert complains as he tries to struggle against me again.  
            "Yes, yes I am. I need to work and we could use the extra cash. I changed the flight plans for the honeymoon and that cost an extra thousand dollars that I didn't have to spend. I think the woman was a homophobe, honestly." I say indignantly.  
            Robert scoffs and awkwardly twists so he can look up at me with half his face pressed against my chest. "You could have used some of the savings funds I have," he grumbles, "but, whatever. Go get the job."  
            Happily, I release my fiancé and plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek. I turn to leave and head out, but Robert grasps my hand and gently pulls me back. "Hey, I got something I wanna talk to you about before you head out today. Sit down for a couple minutes." He says dutifully.  
            Obliging, I take a seat in the open chair adjacent to Robert and rest an arm on the table casually. He takes a long sip from his coffee as if he's preparing himself. "I've been thinking on the baby stuff like I said I would and I decided that if you..." Robert pauses to take a breath to calm his nerves. "...If you want the baby, we can adopt it. We can get the baby or any baby if that one doesn't work out."  
            Awestruck, I allow my jaw to fall open slightly. Excitement is coursing through me at a million miles per hour. "Robert, are you sure? We don't have to do this if you don't want to. Are you really sure you want to go through with this?" I ask to clarify.  
            Robert nods slowly and I reach out to take his hand. "I'm sure. I'm also sure that you would have adopted the baby anyways behind my back if I told you no, so it's better this way."  
            Unable to contain my excitement, I carefully lean over the table and kiss Robert both passionately and happily. He laughs against my lips and I smile as my fingers tangle into his hair.  
              "We're going to be dads. I fucking love you, Robert. Thank you so much. I'll text Amanda later today. She's going to flip out. I'll also call my mother and tell her we'll take the baby," I babble, pulling away.  
            Robert provides a half-smile as I scurry towards the door. Before I leave, I give him once last glance and a smile. The entire way to the Coffee Spoon, I can't drop the smile from my face. My healing wounds may be throbbing and the air might be cold, but having Robert agree to the adoption has made me feel the best I have in the past few weeks. We're going to be dads, Robert and me.  
            Upon entering the Coffee Spoon, I am instantly welcomed with the familiar smell of coffee and baked goods. People are sitting in various places and most of them are too consumed by their food to notice a new person walk through the shop. Craig is sitting closest to the counter and he flags me down with a desperate flail of his arm as if he was afraid I wouldn't see him.  
            "Bro, you're actually up and about! It's good to see you," He greets with a laugh as he slides River her apple juice. River sits in a high chair beside her dad and she seems to be mumbling various toddler things. She has gotten so big since I moved here; she's no longer the little baby I knew her to be.  
             "Ah, yeah. I was getting cabin fever. I'm actually here to talk to Mat about getting my old job back. How are things going with you and the kids?" I ask joyfully.  
            Craig laughs with enjoyment. "It'll be good to see you back in here, bro. The Cahn clan is still going pretty strong for the most part. Briar and Hazel are sick at home and they kicked me out so I can get River her apple juice."  
            I laugh and look over my shoulder to see if Mat is at the counter yet. "Well as soon as the doctor clears it, I'll be up for going on runs again. I'll let you know," I say, turning back to Craig.  
            "Oh hell yeah, bro. I miss having my running buddy. We'll take it easy for a while to gauge where you're at and we'll go from there," Craig says confidently.  
            The two of us talk for a little while more before I slip behind the counter and walk into the back room. Mat is in the middle of pulling out several loafs of banana bread out of the oven, but he pauses momentarily when he catches sight of me.  
            "Hey, man! Good to see you. Your apron is hanging up on the hooks. You can start tomorrow. Same shifts, same days," He says enthusiastically.  
            A bit puzzled, I turn to find my old apron hanging where Mat said it would. "Well that was easy. I thought I would have needed to at least talk to you first. Thanks, Mat."  
            As he pulls out the last loaf of bread, Mat gives me a thumbs up. "You're the best damn worker I have ever come across. It'll take a load off of my shoulders to have you around again. I was surprised when Robert came in asking about your old job. Then he told me you were in the hospital and I was a bit shocked."  
            I breathlessly laugh and move to sit on the bar stool beside one of the counters. "I was too. I wasn't exactly planning on getting shot twice and missing my wedding."  
            Mat leans against the counter I sit near and crosses his arms over his chest. "Did you guys set a new date?"  
            "Yeah, we did. We will now be getting married on December twenty-eighth. I was going to post it on Dadbook tonight. Then we'll be leaving for the honeymoon that same night after the ceremony," I tell him.  
            Mat makes a mental note of that and glances at the door way that leads to the main room. "Me and the kid will be there. I should probably get back to work in case somebody tries to rob me. I doubt anyone would try to do it with Craig sitting there, but you never know," He says with a laugh.  
           Mat and I walk out to the main room and I give my goodbyes before heading back outside, which is getting colder as the hours tick by. From my pocket, I pull my phone and dial up my mother's number. She is the last person I want to talk to right now, but it's unfortunately necessary.  
 _"Hello, Cody. Do you need something?"  
_             "No, I was actually calling to let you know that Robert and I will take the baby," I respond with an eye roll she can't see.   
_"Oh, that is lovely! I'll be sure to let Olivia know. Thank you, Cody."_  
             Before I can say anything more, my mother ends the call and I move on to my next task of telling my daughter.

> **To Amanda Panda :  
>  Hey, Kiddo. It looks like you'll be a big sister after all.   
> Robert and I are going to adopt the baby.**

Almost as if my daughter was waiting beside her phone for this very text, she responds immediately with a very excited messaged.

> **From Amanda Panda :  
>  OH MY GOD! I'M SO HAPPY! YOU AND ROBERT WILL BE   
> THE BEST PARENTS EVER!!! AND I'M GOING TO BE THE   
> BEST BIG SISTER EVER!!!**
> 
> **To Amanda Panda :  
>  I'll give you more details when we have them.   
> Glad you're excited. :)**

            When a cold gust of wind sends shivers down my spine, I shove my phone and hands into the pockets of my hoodie and keep shuffling home. At the cul-de-sac, I spot Mary pacing on her porch with her phone. She's visibly upset and appears to be angry. It would not be much of a surprise if she was talking to Joseph. The two of them can never have civil conversations anymore. I pause momentarily at the foot of my porch steps to give Mary a reassuring half-smile and she returns the favor, only to go back to arguing a second later.  
            Inside of my own home, Robert is lying on the couch watching a movie. He's too invested in what he's watching to notice my arrival, but I don't mind. I shed my hoodie and step out of my shoes while keeping my eyes fixed on Robert. I still don't know how I got so lucky to find a man as grumpy and stubborn as him to call my own. Smiling to myself, I walk over to Robert and climb up on the couch to straddle his thighs. Robert looks up at me with an expression of wonder and I reciprocate by leaning down and capturing his lips with my own.  
            Robert does not pull back, he does not ask questions, and he does not hesitate. He grasps my right hip and starts kissing me harder. I draw back for only a second to catch my breath, but Robert decides to take that second to flip us over. A sharp pain shoots up and down my side from the movement, although I keep myself focused on loving the man above me.  
            My hands slide down his body, feeling all of his muscles and curves. Skillfully, I unbuckle his belt and undo his pants all in one go. Robert moves his own hands from my shoulders to my shirt where he pushes it up until I help him take it off. He leans back on my legs to examine my bandages, something I notice he does when he sees me shirtless. I think he's afraid that I'll disappear or something along those lines. I will never forgive myself for scaring him like I did.  
            Robert's lips find my neck. He starts kissing at my sensitive area and when he knows I'm riled up enough, he grazes the spot with his teeth. I gasp and clutch onto him, silently begging him for more. Robert moves back up to my lips and while he kisses me, I push his jeans down as far as I can along with his briefs. Robert laughs under his breath and bites down on my bottom lip, just hard enough for me to respond by digging my fingers into his hips.  
            Moving with more intent now, Robert makes short work of my pants as I yank off his shirt. We have not been as sexually active as we normally are. This is only the second time we've been able to do this with each other. I think it's partly because of how busy we've been, but I also think there's something going on with Robert that's not telling me.  
            "You're distracted, Cody. Makes this kind of hard," Robert notes as he pulls away and hovers above me.  
            "That's not the only thing I'm making hard," I joke as I nudge his crotch with my thigh.  
            Robert giggles and I smile because he actually laughed. Wanting my fiancé, I pull him back down on me and lift my hips so he can pull my boxers off of me. From only God knows where, Robert pulls a travel sized bottle of lube and a condom and he sets them on my bare chest.  
            "How do you want to do this? Doc doesn't want you going all out yet." Robert inquires as he slides his hand down to my dick.  
             "Do whatever you want. I'm not picky right now," I say simply, tossing the lube bottle back at him.  
             Robert opens the bottle and slicks his fingers up, making sure he's wet enough to not hurt me. Knowing that my left side is pretty much decommissioned at the moment, Robert moves my right leg over his shoulder and slips his fingers inside of me. I hum a sound of pleasure and grip various parts of the couch to prevent myself from grabbing onto him while he stretches me out. When it's clear that I do not want him in there for too long, Robert withdraws his fingers and rips open the condom package to slide it on himself. I watch as he does this as arousal courses underneath my skin. I don't think I will ever get tired of watching him do this. There's something so arousing and sexy about watching him get ready to fuck me when I'm so needy and ready for him. Robert gives me one last look before he pushes his tip into me and I moan with a barely present smile on my face. He has always felt good inside of me.  
            Robert bends down to capture my lips again and his kisses are oddly soft and meaningful. I allow it and kiss him back with as much passion he's giving me as he thrusts himself in and out of me. My heart is pounding against my chest and it only pounds harder when Robert's hand finds my dick and starts to pump it. This is not the rough and desperate sex we started out with, this is love making. He's loving me and I'm loving him... This is gentle and sweet...  
            "Your stitches will be out by the time we go on the honeymoon, yeah?" Robert asks, panting hard.  
            I nod, unable to say anything other than an incoherent sound of some sort of a yes. Robert slips his tongue into my mouth and I melt into the taste of him, unable to get enough. "Good because," Robert says as he pulls away again, "when we go, I am going to fuck you so hard on that bed... and everywhere in that house."  
          I laugh, but then Robert starts thrusting a hell of a lot harder and my laughs turn into moans. Pretty soon I reach my climax and wind up getting most of it on Robert's chest because neither of us thought to cup me. Robert's orgasm is close behind mine and he gently collapses on top of me after it rocks through him. Affectionately, I wrap my arms around his middle and hold him close to me again. I do not care if there's a mess between us, I do not care if I'm being too affectionate. Having quick sex like that... it's good for us, but Robert needs something more. He always has.  
            "You love me, right?" I ask dumbly.  
             Robert groans and props himself up on his elbow to look at me. "Do you really think I would be adopting a baby with you, getting married to you, living with you, and having meaningful sex with you if I didn't?" He points out.  
             Rolling my eyes, I yank him back down and press a soft kiss on to the top of his head. "I was just making sure, Bobert."  
             "For fucks sake, Cody. Can it be a rule that after marriage, you can no longer use that nickname?"  
             I laugh and drop one of my hands down to his lower back where it starts to turn into his butt, a butt that I love very much. "Fuck no. What am I supposed to do for fun, then? Call you by your real name?"  
            "Preferably, yes. Bobert is fucking terrible," He whines against the crook of my neck.  
            "Well it's too bad that I love annoying you, then. And I love having this argument with you because I always win it," I remind him.  
            Robert groans, but gives up on the argument because he knows I'm right and I always am when it comes to this fight. I never thought I could love a man as much as I love this one.

            My head pounds with another migraine, one that makes it impossible for me to tolerate any light. I was due for another dose of my painkillers hours ago, but Robert has not been home for the past few and he never told me where he put the pill bottle. Both of our dogs share the couch with me in the darkness in the living room as if to bring me comfort. Robert never stays out late anymore and he never leaves without telling me where he's going. All of my texts remain unanswered, not that I expected them to be. I don't understand what happened. We were fine, everything was fine. Then he got up and said he had to go somewhere and I have not see him since.   
           He was in a weird mood when he left. I could feel a vibe on him I hadn't felt for a long time. It made me nervous and I know I should not have let him go out, but I did. Deep down, I know where he went. Agreeing to adopt the baby is bringing back old demons he never wanted to see or feel again. He failed as a father to Val and as I have noted time and time again, I know he fears that he'll screw up again. He's falling back into his old patterns. It kind of makes sense when I think about it. As soon as my mother mentioned the baby, Robert, with no doubt in my mind, snapped. All of the progress he has made is on its way to being undone. Robert went to Jim and Kim's.  
            Just when I'm about to give up on waiting and go to bed, the front door opens and Robert shuffles through it. In the dull light from the street lamps that light up the cul-de-sac, I can see what he has in his hand. I have seen that object countless of times, over and over, but not for a long time now. My heart breaks at the sight of it. He's already losing himself and I did not try to stop it. I have been so focused on myself lately that I didn't take the time to check up on him. He's carrying a half empty bottle of whiskey. It's starting again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alriiiighty. That's the last of the fall chapters. The next upload will be the start of the winter chapters.  
> -I'm going to be spending a lot of time on the next few chapters, so hopefully the quality will improve. I have been really sick lately so it's a miracle that I got this up in time. 
> 
> QUESTION: Do you think the game developers should have done more with Dream Daddy after the release? Do you think they ever will?


	6. Ultimatum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are three days until the wedding, a day until Christmas, and four days until the honeymoon.  
> Robert's drinking problem is not going away and at the point where things are about to get a lot worse, Cody does the one thing he swore he would never do in order to save the person he loves. He gives Robert an ultimatum.

_Winter_

            Mat stands behind the counter as I scrub at a table that has already been cleaned three or four times over. Snow started to fall outside an hour ago and it appears to be sticking on everything it touches. In normal circumstances, I would be ecstatic to see the snow. However, these are not normal circumstances and I am not even remotely pleased to see the snow. My wedding is in about three days and unless the snow melts by then, we will have to find a different, preferably indoor, location to host the ceremony. Amanda keeps telling me not to worry about it because she supposedly has it all handled and I’m, as it turns out, not supposed to be worrying about anything at this point.  
             On top of the wedding, Christmas is almost here and by almost here, I mean tomorrow. Robert and I came to a mutual decision not to buy each other gifts this year in hopes to save money for the honeymoon. We did, however, decide to buy things for our kids. Val is getting here the day after Christmas and Amanda will be here sometime before that. I’m excited to have the kids, or kid-like adults, around again this year. I’m only a little worried about Val getting up and down the stairs with her wheelchair. Robert and I both tried to talk to her about it, but she refused and told us not to worry. There seems to be a lot of that going around lately and yet, I’m still choosing to worry.  
            When Val arrives, Robert and I have to tell her about the baby we will be adopting in April or early May. I’m not sure how that conversation will go and I’m not even sure if I’m ready for it, but it has to happen. Robert won’t talk to me about it; he keeps saying we’ll get there when we get there. I know he’s just burying his fears and he’s drinking to compensate for how that makes him feel. It is rapidly becoming a mess and I need to handle it before it turns into something worse. All is fair in love and war.  
            The bell above the door rings and from the snow enters a face I have not seen around here for quite some time. Joseph pulls off his gloves and sits down at a table tucked into the corner of the shop, away from most of the lingering people in here. His face is red from the cold chill outside and he seems mildly jittery from said coldness. I stop what I’m doing then and walk over to his table with half a mind to turn around and go back to cleaning the already clean table. Though, he is invited to the wedding and now is not the time to start something bitter again.  
             “I haven’t seen you around for a long time. What brings you here at this hour?” I ask when I’m close enough.  
             Joseph looks up at me with a warm smile and perks up in his seat. “Hello, Cody. I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop in for a while for old time’s sake. Mat does make the best Mocha! At the Disco after all,” He explains.  
            I nod and turn to tell Mat to get that drink started, but he seems to be already working through it. Awkwardly, I turn back to Joseph and slide into the spot in front of him at the table. Things are still pretty weird between us and I would be lying if I said I forgave him for the things he did. The way he acted created a big unnecessary mess.  
            “So, the big day is on the twenty-eighth. Are you and Robert excited to finally tie the knot? Mary has been talking to me about it whenever she catches the chance,” Joseph asks curiously as he moves to rest an arm on the table.  
            Subconsciously, I start to twist the ring on my finger again. I’m not sure why I started that habit. I think I do it to remind myself of something or to feel something; belonging, maybe. Joseph notices the ring twisting and a faint smile spreads on his face. I move my hands below the table in response, unsure of what else to do. Joseph still has a thing for me, he always has, but he has stopped acting on it. In reality, I haven’t really heard from him since Robert and I announced our engagement.  
            “I think we’re pretty excited. Robert’s excitement is generally always internal, but I know he’s ready and I am too. We have been for a while.” I confirm.  
            Mat comes by with the drink for Joseph and in return, Joseph hands Mat some cash for it and tells him to keep the change. “Your shift is over, Cody. I think I’ll need you again tomorrow for a brief shift, but you’re free after that to go get married and have your honeymoon,” Mat tells me with a laugh.  
            I thank Mat as he walks away and then I redirect my attention back to Joseph. He hasn’t been around a lot since the divorce with Mary. Mary prefers not to talk about the divorce and the only time she does is when she’s piss drunk and can barely stand. It can be really uncomfortable sometimes.  
            “Well, in case I don’t get to tell you at the wedding, congratulations. You two deserve each other and I’m grateful I was invited to share the day with you two and everybody else.” Joseph says warmly.  
            I put on a half-smile and rise from the chair. I have been avoiding home all day today, only because I’m afraid of what I’ll find at the house.  “I’ll see you at the wedding, Joseph. Have a good day.”  
            After hanging up my apron and putting on my jacket, I head out into the snow and shove my hands into my pockets. In the past hour or so, about a half-inch of snow has accumulated on the ground. If it the weather stays like this, we really will need to find an alternative spot for the wedding reception. I hope Amanda has a backup plan like she acts like she does. I know I shouldn’t doubt my kid, but there is so much pressure on me. It’s my natural instinct to worry about everything. I think worrying is one of my talents.  
            The cul-de-sac is fairly quiet upon my arrival. I can hear the ever-present noise of children laughing coming from Craig’s house and I can hear Lucien’s heavy metal music coming from the Bloodmarch house... the usual noises. At mine and Robert’s house, however, it’s mostly silent. I step through the front door and hang my coat up on the rack all in one swift movement, surveying the room as I do. Robert is not to be seen, but a loud thump from upstairs gives away his location. As I kick off my shoes, I notice a bottle of whiskey on the kitchen island that is pretty much empty. It’s getting worse and worse as each day passes by.  
            In a way, I feel like I’m not doing enough to help him. I feel responsible even though I shouldn’t. His problems are not my fault, but I’m also his fiancé and should be the one helping him through tough times. The only problem I keep facing is getting through the walls and walls of defense that Robert puts up to protect himself from being too vulnerable and exposed. I know the steps, I have been here before, but it seems harder this time around.  
            Moving slowly up the stairs to keep my steps silent, I make my way to the bedroom. Robert exits the bathroom just as I enter the bedroom and he looks cleanly shaven and fresh out of the shower. Though, despite the cleanliness, it takes one look to know he’s drunk. It was a bad idea to leave him alone today without giving him a list of things to do. It has been this way for the past few months. Robert never really quit drinking in the first place, he only drank wine on occasion and he would only drink whiskey when Mary wanted us to go out with her, but this is bad. And I’ll keep saying that until I’m asphyxiated because all it is at the end of the day is an endless loop of bad.  
             There will be times when I wake up in the middle of the night to find his side of the bed empty. When I try to talk to him about it, he shuts me out and changes the subject. I feel like we’re running around in circles and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. While it wasn’t, this all seemed so easy the first time. He was so willing to let me in, but now, now that we’ve been together for a while and are about to get married, I think he’s trying to protect me from what’s going on with him.  
            “Amanda is flying in tomorrow. We have one night to ourselves if you want to do anything,” I say in a happy tone in hopes it will rub off on him.  
            Robert moves to sit in front of me on the edge of our bed. I walk forward to get close to him and he spreads his legs so I can stand in between them and be closer. I know this is his silent way of asking for comfort, he’s asking for me to touch him and hold him. Giving in, I pull him forward and lovingly rub his back as he presses his face into my middle. His arms wrap around my upper thighs and he gently pulls me closer so there is no space in between us, not that there was much to start with anyways.  
            “Do we have anything we need to do?” He asks calmly. “I went out and picked up the tuxedos from the dry cleaners. They’re hanging in the closet.”  
            I take a half step back and angle his head up so I can kiss him. I can taste the whiskey on his lips, a taste that I admittedly missed, but it’s a taste I do not find welcoming given his current state. Though, it does take me back to our first kiss when he tasted like whiskey and cigarettes. Oh, the things I would do to go back a live through those days again just for the sake of being able to kiss him for the first time over and over again.  
            “We, uh… We need to talk about telling Val. About the baby, I mean. You’ve been avoiding it,” I prompt slowly.  
            Robert sighs and I take a seat on the edge of the bed beside him. He has avoided this conversation time and time again, but it can’t happen again, not when Val is showing up within two days. “I know we do, but there’s not much to be said. We just have to tell her and whatever happens, happens I guess. I’m pretty set on adopting that baby and I don’t want to change my mind,” He grumbles.  
            “Robert, there’s more to it than that. You’re afraid and I’m pretty sure I know why, but I need you to tell me. I need to hear it from you so I can help you.” I encourage.  
            Robert’s shoulders sag with defeat. There are a number of things going on with him, but I have to take this one step at a time. I have to fix one thing and then move onto the next… if he lets me.  
             “I don’t know, Cody. She’s my kid and I did a royally fucked up job on raising her. I’m afraid that when we tell her she’ll… reject the idea? I don’t know,” He admits.  
            I figured it was something like that. “You’re afraid that she’ll be upset because the baby will be getting the life she never had. You think she’ll be jealous and you think she will feel resentment towards to the baby. Even more so, you think she’ll be angry with you for wanting to try again,” I say, filling in the blanks.  
            Robert looks to me with disbelief, unsure of how I figured him out as well as I did. He likes to think he can hide things from me, but he always fails to realize that I know him better than he knows himself sometimes.  
            “Val is your daughter and always will be. You guys, even though you’re kind of at an impasse right now, have never had a better relationship. Us adopting a baby won’t change that and when we explain the situation to her, I’m sure she’ll understand. You don’t have to worry, Robert,”  I reassure him.  
            Robert falls silent and moves his gaze to his lap. I extend my hand and cup the side of his face so I can turn his gaze to me again. His eyes are full of hurt and fear and suddenly I feel like I went back in time and I’m looking into the eyes of the Robert I first met.  
            “Think about something else for a while. Think about the wedding or the honeymoon,” I say enticingly.  
            Robert laughs quietly and I’m not really sure who moves first, but suddenly we’re kissing and we’re kissing desperately. I grasp onto the collar of Robert’s shirt and pull him against me, breathing in the faint smell of his cologne and whiskey as I do. His kisses are passionate and needy, something I have not felt from him in a long time. I missed these kisses, but they’ve been buried under his current state of mind.  
            We’re about to take things further, but my phone starts to buzz with the call I have been waiting for from Amanda and, at the same time, somebody knocks on the door. Both Robert and I groan. As he gets up to go get the door, I pull my phone from my pocket and answer the relentless buzzing.  
            “Hey, Panda. What time am I picking you up from the airport tomorrow?” I ask.  
 _“Around seven PM. I couldn’t get an earlier flight. Turns out flying during Christmas is a pretty bad idea.”  
_             “Alright, I’ll be there. Have you been checking the weather lately? It’s supposed to snow non-stop for the next several days.” I point out as I get from the bed to walk out of the bedroom.  
            As I make my way to the stairs, I hear Mary and Robert talking downstairs. They’re too quiet for me to understand them, but it doesn’t sound all that pleasant.  
 _“Yes, pops. I have it all under control. I thought I told you not to worry about anything? Val and I have it completely covered. The only thing you have to worry about is not losing Robert’s ring when I give it to you.”  
_             “I’m a crazy father who put their almost twenty-one year old in charge of his wedding. Of course I’m going to worry,” I remind her in a playful tone.  
            Amanda laughs and I crack a smile.  _“I promise I have it all under control. Just focus on getting married and the rest will follow. I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you, dad.”_  
            “I love you too, Amanda. Have a safe flight tomorrow.”  
            The call ends and I shove my phone back into my pocket where it belongs. Moving carefully and silently, I take the stairs one step at a time in fear of disrupting the conversation going on in the living room.   
            “Mary, no offense, but I really don’t want to have this conversation with you,” Robert snaps bitterly.   
            Mary clearly takes offense to that and scoffs in disbelief. When she spots me on the last step of the stairs, her eyes are sending daggers my way. I quickly scan my brain for anything I could have done wrong in the past week or so, but come up with nothing. Is she mad about me having a quick conversation with Joseph at the Coffee Spoon?  
            “You,” she spars, “you knew he was drinking heavily again, didn’t you? Why haven’t you done anything about it?” She demands.  
            In any other given scenario, I would be happy to see Mary, but she is branching off into an area she no longer has business messing around in. She’s unusually angry and this is not the kind of Mary I like to be around.  
            “Mary, I appreciate your concern, but I’m handling it. Take a minute to calm down," I retort.  
            Robert looks as if he’s stuck in between wanting to thank me and wanting to yell at me. I was making progress with him up in the bedroom, though I’m almost certain Mary destroyed that progress. I’m back at square one yet again.  
            “You are about to get married, Robert. Do you really want to spend that day wasted and drunk out of your mind? Be smarter than this and stop before you can’t stop,” She presses.  
            Now enraged, I step off the stairs and stand defensively beside Robert. Robert is strong and he probably does not need my protection, but he’s wounded and she’s kicking him down further and further the trap that is his personal demons. I know Mary has been having a hard time lately, but that’s no excuse for coming here and creating another mess that I’ll have to pick up the pieces to later.    
             “This is exactly how you lost Marilyn, Robert. Don’t do this again. Not now, not after everything,” Mary seethes.  
             Robert flinches at the cold reminder and that’s where my quota for Mary-Drama reaches beyond full. Being hard on him about his drinking is one thing, but to bring up Marilyn like that out of nowhere in the heat of an argument is cold and malicious.  
            “Mary, this is not your place. You need to leave. We’ll see you at the wedding,” I say venomously.   
            She looks at me with betrayal in her eyes and probably feels as if I’m picking sides. I’m not sure how she found out about Robert’s drinking. Maybe she saw the whiskey bottle in the kitchen or maybe she saw him at Jim and Kim’s one night. Either way, this is not her place. She does not have the right to come in here and disturb things. Not anymore, even if she means well.  
            “I know you mean well, but not this time. Please just leave,” I say in a kinder tone, hoping to get it through to her that I have it somewhat handled.  
            Without another word, Mary leaves and slams the door behind her. Robert and I stand in the uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, just basking in the wake that is Mary. When I finally gather the courage to look at Robert, he’s visibly broken. He’s on the verge of shutting down again and that usually starts with an outburst of anger. I feel guilty, of course. I could have prevented all of this if I did what I supposed to and stopped the heavy drinking when it first started.  
           Then again, I’m not sure if that would have helped. Knowing Robert, he probably would have continued on behind my back and I would be running in circles trying to stop him. This is where things get bad and ugly and it doesn’t matter if we’re getting married in a few days. Nothing will survive this if I do not end it now. No matter how happy we are, no matter how much we love each other, the drinking and the secrets will tear us apart again. I will not live through that again.  
            “I’m going out. I don’t know when I’ll be back,” Robert mutters angrily.  
            I can’t keep doing this. After everything we went through at the beginning of our relationship, after everything he went through to get to a better state of mind, I will not do it. My heart breaks every time I see of bottle of whiskey around the house and it breaks even further when he shuts me out. I have tried time and time again to get through to him. He’s relapsing and he’s refusing to let me help him stop. I have tolerated it for the past few months, but not now. Not when we’re so close to our wedding and not when we’re going to be bringing a baby in our lives.  
           I swore to myself that I would never give Robert an ultimatum back when we first started dating. I swore I would never put him in that situation, but I’m scared that if he leaves tonight, he won’t come back or if he does come back, he won’t be the same anymore. I have to do what I told myself I would never do in order to save him.  
           “Robert, stop,” I call from my place in the living room. “If you walk out that door, we’re done. I can’t keep watching you hurt yourself like this. It is killing me and I need you to realize that. I love you, Robert, more than you realize, but you are letting yourself fall and I can’t help you when you shut me out. So if you walk through that door, we’re done for good.”  
            An ultimatum. My last chance, my last hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To me, this is the #1 worst thing that's happening in the story. Cody is at the point of being so worried about Robert that he believes the only way to save him is to deliver the ultimatum in hopes Robert will realize what he's doing.  
> -However, while things are possibly about to get ugly, things will get back to normal before too long and the rest of the story will be full of general happiness. I promise. :)  
> -This chapter has been beta read twice, so I apologize if any big typos slipped through my notice.


	7. Some Form of a Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the ultimatum, Robert decides if he's going to stay with Cody or leave.

            My heart practically stops. I gave him an ultimatum and nothing about it feels right. In fact, the words I said to him leave a very sour and unwelcome taste in my mouth. Robert, in shock because of what I said, stops walking and freezes in his place. I want to regret what I said; I want to feel some sort of remorse for them. I stare at Robert’s back with tears threatening my eyes and I want to reach out to him and take it all back, though I stay in my place as if my feet have been glued down to the ground. I cannot move and I cannot think.  
            Robert turns around and when he does, I almost wish he stayed facing the front door. The sight before me is horrible and makes me sick to my stomach with guilt and despair. Brimmed with tears, his are show hurt and his jaw clenches, he’s heartbroken. I did this to him and I can’t bring myself to regret it even though I desperately want to. How did things get to this point? How did I let it get down to an unwelcome ultimatum? It all started when my mother showed up. Things have been all wrong since then. Nothing has been right and I did next to nothing to fix it. Once again, I have failed.  
             “You don’t mean that. You can’t… You can’t be serious about that,” Robert says in disbelief, his voice wavering with uncertainty.  
             It’s a strange feeling, to want to leave the room and lock myself away until this all blows over. I never wanted things to get to this point and yet, they are. Christmas is in two hours and I’m standing in the middle of the living room with tears threatening to run down my face as my heart breaks all over again.  
            “Don’t choose the drinking over me, Robert. This is what the drinking has pushed me to do. I don’t want you to walk out that door. I want you to let me help you. We can fix this, it’s not too late,” I beg him in hopes he’ll choose to do the right thing.  
             Robert lets his arms dangle at his sides in defeat. He’s slowly coming undone in front of me; he’s slowly letting his guard down. This is a now or never moment and I hope to God he chooses now. I never want to leave him, but I will if it means making him realize what he’s doing. I will do what I must in order to help him get better and recover from this relapse.  
             “I can’t lose you, Codes. Not again,” He whispers brokenly.  
             We stare at each for what feels like eternity. I want to do this day all over again. Hell, let me do this month again. Everything leading up to his moment has a way of being fixed. I would talk to him more, I would stop the drinking on that first night, and I would do so much more than what I did in hopes this moment never has to happen. I would give anything to not have to stand here and threaten to leave the person I’m about to marry. I’m breaking both of our hearts in hopes of a better outcome, in hopes of a better life for both of us and the baby we’re going to adopt.  
            As the seconds tick by, I start to wonder if we’ll stand here forever in this bubble of uncertainty. He’s everything I want and I’m standing here with open arms, begging him to make the right choice. Then, out of nowhere, Robert makes his decision. He takes two long strides to get well into my personal space and he pulls my body close against his. He falls apart, then. All the tears and emotions he has held in are coming out now, but I do not care. He’s here and he’s with me and that is all that matters. And so, I throw my arms around him and hold onto him with everything I am worth. He’s not slipping away from me again. Not again, not tonight, not ever.  
            “Let’s go to our room, Robert. Come on. Let’s just go to sleep and get through the next few days. We can sort everything out later. Just be with me tonight,” I urge quietly.                 
            It takes him a moment to recollect himself, but, eventually, he pulls away from me and wipes his fallen tears with his sleeve. With his hand held securely in mine, we walk up the stairs together and stumble aimlessly into our bedroom. I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. He chose to stay with me tonight. We can move on now and focus on the things that matter like our wedding.    
            “Were you really going to leave me if I left tonight?” Robert asks nervously as I sit him on the bed.  
            I stare at him blankly, sorting through my thoughts. “I don’t know, baby. I think there would have been some separation, but I don’t think I could leave you. Not now, anyways. We have postponed our wedding a total of four times and I’m ready to just do it. I wanna be married to you. I’m tired of running around in circles.”  
            The honesty in my answer seems to be enough for him and he drops the topic for the time being. I don’t plan on prying on him tonight. Instead, I intend to comfort him and make him remember that I’m there for him. Even if he’s hesitant to talk about it, I know he’s going through some tough things just as I am with the loss of my brother.  
             “I feel like a complete moron. If I walked out that door, I would have lost you again. I can’t deal with losing you again. It was hard enough the first time…” Robert says in a hushed tone.  
            Hardly aware of what I’m doing, I push Robert back against his pillows and snuggle up close to his body. He throws and arm around me and pulls me up against his side, close enough that I have to hook a leg on his hips just to lay comfortably.  
            “We’re so gay, Robert,” I say with a laugh, feeling myself crack under all of the pressure I have been under lately.  
            Robert joins in on my laughter and starts to draw lazy patterns on my back with his fingertips. “Yeah, well, I like being gay with you,” he murmurs against the top of my head.  
            Robert suddenly moves to lie on top of me, pressing my body into the mattress as he does. Our lips clash together and his kiss is demanding affection. Our tongues and lips meld together and he intoxicates me with each taste of him. I moan and he seizes the moment to slip his tongue into my mouth, searching for mine. He still tastes faintly of whiskey and when his cologne finds its way to my nose, I start to feel myself getting drunk off of his presence. One of Robert’s hands travel down my side as the other keeps itself busy in my hair. He feels every curve and bend of my body, grasping onto me as if he feels like he will lose me if he lets go. I can feel his erection pressing against my thigh as he holds me against his hips and I press against him, giving him just enough friction to get off on. The moan he lets escape against my lips does not fly under my notice.   
            I moan again into his mouth and I feel his lips stretch into a sloppy, yet affectionate, smile. We want each other so badly, we need a good night after so many bad ones. Our sex life has been pretty boring, just in general. We have been doing it just to do it, but it feels different this time. It feels new and extremely _hot_. Gripping his upper arms, I feel his biceps and every muscle in his arms. He’s strong, something I grateful for on a day-to-day basis. With all of his clothes on, he can pass as an average guy. But then, when he strips away all of his layers and he’s in nothing but skin, he’s…  _attractive_. And his body is mine to look at, to touch, to love, to bite...  
            I move my hands up to his face and into his thick and soft hair that desperately needs to be cut. It’s still soft from his recent shower and smells strongly of his shampoo. As I tug on it gently, I notice the soft sounds he makes that resemble groans. Sliding down from my mouth, Robert leaves of trail of kisses down my exposed torso. He gently grabs at my hips, avoiding the fresh scars on my left side. He leaves kisses all around them and proceeds to nip at my right hip, making me groan. I never thought I would be into biting until I met Robert. I never thought I would be into a lot of things until I met Robert. Wines, having sex almost ever day, waking up in a naked tangled mess, showering together... I love it all.  
            I push myself up onto my elbows to get a better look at him. To see him on me, to feel his mouth against my skin… it sends arousing and loving feelings to my core. My breathing is much too loud to be appropriate, but, then again, nothing we’re doing is exactly appropriate either. He gazes up at me with those brown eyes of his and I think I feel myself melt. I love those eyes.I love _him_.  
           His hands find the waist band and undo the button on my jeans, and he hurriedly pulls down the zipper as if there’s some kind of time limit I don’t know about. Without taking his eyes off mine, he slides my pants down my thighs and off my legs. He tosses them elsewhere in the room and bends my knees, spreading my legs far apart. At some point in time, he too got out of his jeans and we both now only wear our briefs. I look over to his face and feel a dumb smile grow on my lips. How did I get so lucky to find a man as fucked up and loving as this one?  
            “I think we’re going to have a lot of fun on our honeymoon,” Robert comments as he leans over to grab the lube and a condom from the nightstand.  
            Another pointless smile finds its way to my face and Robert takes note of it. He has me completely smitten and in love. “Yeah? What makes you say that?” I ask tauntingly.  
            Robert slips his fingers into the waistband of my briefs and I know he’s watching for the flair of excitement in my eyes. He’s always watching me for my reactions. “Because you won’t be able to keep yourself off of me and I know exactly what to do to you to get you to go absolutely senseless,” He explains.  
            My heart is hammering against my chest. He should not get away with being the way he is. He’s knows my body better than I do sometimes and he always seems to be able to make me feel things I didn’t know I could feel.  
            Robert, growing restless, rids me of my briefs and his lips instantly find their way to my dick. I gasp as he pushes me into his mouth and fall back onto the mattress, no longer able to support myself as he swirls his tongue over my tip repeatedly. As he takes more and more of me, I feel my hips start to thrust in senseless reaction. Eventually, he has all of me and I’m panting relentlessly. I don’t know when or how, but at one point Robert got a hold of the lube and he is now slipping his fingers inside of me. I cry out and moan, completely unable to form coherent words. This is not a combination he uses on me frequently. It feels so good, it makes butterflies fly through my stomach and my head light.   
            Within seconds my organism catches me by surprise as I am so lost in euphoria and Robert swallows it all effortlessly like he has time and time again. Pulling away, he laughs and grabs for the condom. He bends down just long enough to slide the condom onto himself and to give me a sloppy kiss. With little to no warning, he pushes himself inside of me in one movement. I cry out and reach back to grip the bed frame, feeling my body explode with sensations.   
            “Fuck, Cody… Remind me why we waited so long to have sex for the first time back then?” He asks as he positions himself to his liking.  
            “We waited because  _somebody_  was being weird for the entire first half of the relationship,” I remind him in between gasps and moans.  
            Robert rolls his eyes and starts to rock his hips, moving himself in ways that both pleasure him and me. I push myself up onto my elbows again and find his lips, kissing him in a sloppy and uncoordinated pattern.  
            “I’ll tell you what, if I could do it all over again, I would go back and fuck you right in the bed of my truck that night I came home from my trip,” Robert laughs.  
            I scoff and graze at his neck with my teeth, leaving behind a red mark that will last for a few days at most. “Just shut up and fuck me, Robert,” I groan.  
            Robert laughs and starts ramming into me harder and quicker with accuracy. I listen very closely to his moans and angle my body so he can go deeper with his thrusts, making the overall experience better for both of us. He digs his fingers into my body and pants out dirty things followed by my name. It's hot, sexy, wet, and fucking amazing. When Robert’s climax catches up to him, he collapses onto my body and presses his face securely against my chest as he rides through it. We stay like that for a long time, just lying in each other’s arms. It was not my exact intention to reconcile through sex, but I think it was effective nevertheless. It’s a language we both speak well and we never get tired of it.  
            “I need your help with this, Cody. Becoming a dad again is freaking me out. I want to, but I’m scared of fucking up again and ruining that baby. I want to do things right this time,” Robert admits as he gets up.  
            I follow Robert to the bathroom for cleanup and keep my mouth shut until we’re dressed in pajamas and back in our bed. Tomorrow is Christmas and tomorrow my daughter will be here, so this is the last chance to actually talk to Robert before the honeymoon. He needs to hear  _something_  to get him through the next few days and while I don’t claim to know everything, I know enough to help him.  
            “I know you’re scared, but you need to know that I’m with you. We’re going to raise that baby together. From here on out, everything we do will be together because we’ll be married and you’re not supposed to be alone in a marriage. Just lean on me whenever you need me, Robert. I’m always going to be there for you,” I say calmly.  
            Robert wordlessly turns out the lights and scoots close to me under the blankets. He doesn’t say anything, but I know what I said is sticking with him. From here on out, things will be better. I’ll help him through his drinking again and through lots of work, things will start to be better. Everything that happened in the living room was wrong, but it was inevitable. Things have been brewing for a long time and it was only a matter of time before it all spilt out in some way. I’m hurt that it had to happen in the way that it did, though he’s here with me now and that’s all that matters, right? We can get married and have our honeymoon like a normal couple would. And from here on out, neither of us will feel alone ever again.  
            I’m excited for what the future holds. After the wedding, Robert and I will go spend two weeks with each other and while we’re on our honeymoon, we’ll get to celebrate Robert’s birthday. He keeps telling me that he would rather not celebrate it because, apparently, celebrating it acknowledges that he’s getting older. However, he must take me for a fool if he thinks I’m going to let another birthday go by without celebrating it. I have listened to him for this long, but not now. I’ll claim I have some special husband-birthday-rights in order to get away with it and he’ll have no way to argue with me about it.  
            After the honeymoon, we can start focusing on the baby. Out of three bedrooms in the house, one of those will be converted into a nursery for the baby. Soon, within a couple of weeks, Robert and I will be told the gender of the baby. Neither of us is expecting anything in particular, we don’t care what it turns out to be as long as the baby is happy and healthy. I’m excited to take this journey with Robert. He will get to be the father he never was and I will get to raise another kid. Everything will fall into place now.

            Amanda sits quietly beside me as we cruise down the freeway. Unlike this morning, traffic is minimal and the roads are a bit more driver friendly. It took me almost an hour to get to my appointment so I could go through the last of my physical therapy and it took nearly two hours to get to the airport. I was almost late for Amanda’s arrival. I think I only had a minute to spare and I had to break one or two laws just to make it. Nevertheless, she’s here now and she’s bubbling with excitement for the wedding.  
            In the backseat and in the very back of the Jeep, all of Amanda’s bags are stowed away. I was shocked to see that she had so many when she’s only here for a few days, but it turns out that more than half of the bags are full of stuff for the wedding. She refuses to tell me what she and Val have planned. I’m a little concerned that the two of them are going to go overboard, but I have to learn to trust my daughter and soon-to-be step-daughter.  
            “I’m going to take the car to pick up Val tomorrow. I want you and Robert to stay home and start cleaning the house if you haven’t already. Val and I have some stuff to do tomorrow,” Amanda announces as we pull into the driveway.  
            I give Amanda a questionable look, unsure of what they could possible need to do tomorrow. “Alright, I’ll get Robert on vacuuming and I’ll get on dusting,” I agree slowly.  
            Amanda beams and leaps out of the car. One by one we haul her bags into the house and when the dogs notice Amanda, they waste no time to tackle her to the floor for kisses and excited yelps. I watch as my dogs attack my daughter and when I feel a hand place itself on the small of my back, I too yelp in surprise. Robert raises an eyebrow and shakes his head, making me laugh.  
            “I didn’t realize you were still home. I thought you left to go run some errands,” I explain.  
            Robert gestures to the clock and I realize just how late it is. It’s nearly nine; most of Christmas day has been burned away. “I have been home for two hours waiting for you guys. And why the hell do you have so many bags, kid? You’re only here for a few days,” Robert questions as he gestures to the bags in the living room.  
            Amanda jumps up to her feet and puts a knowing smile on her face. “Wedding stuff. Val is bringing more tomorrow.”  
            I slip away from Robert’s touch to go to the Christmas tree where Amanda’s present rests. With ease, I pick it up and pass it along to my daughter. She’s confused at first and it’s clear she was not expecting anything from us because she arrived late and didn’t get us anything. As she rips away the paper and lifts the lid to the box, I watch as her face turns from confusion to happiness.  
            Inside of the box are several items. On top of yet another new camera, there are two new photo albums for her to fill, a photo album from her childhood, a photo of her mother, and a photo of Robert and I. Tucked away at the very bottom of the box is one last photo of the three of us and Val from the last time we were all together. Amanda smiles wide and sets the box aside so she can hug Robert and me both at once. We hug her back and give her a little extra squeeze because I know the photo of her mom is very special to her.  
            “Thank you, guys. I love it,” She exclaims happily.  
            As we all pile onto the two couches in the living room, I find myself feeling true happiness. Val won’t be here until tomorrow, but having one of my kids around is enough to make me remember why I love Christmas. This is a happiness I have not felt for a long time and it feels good to feel it again.  
            Robert sets up a movie for us to watch and I get up to turn off the entry way lights to add onto the movie-viewing experience. Amanda stretches out on her couch and welcomes both dogs as they jump up to join her. Betsy finds a place right away under Amanda’s arm, but Max, being as big as she is, moves around several times before deciding to stretch out on Amanda’s legs comfortably.  
            When Val gets here tomorrow, I will have my entire family under one roof. I’m buzzing with excitement and look forward to what the girls have planned for the wedding. As of right now, I still don’t know what they planned for the bachelor party and I’m a little concerned they’re going to wear us out before mine and Robert’s big day. However, no matter what happens, I'll be happy and everything will simply be okay. No more worries, no more stress... just happiness. 

_I did not know it at the time, but Val has two big surprises waiting for Robert and I and it’s those surprises that will make Robert remember that will be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays to those who celebrate! I hope you guys are having fun and if Christmas has already passed for you, I hope you at least had fun. 2018 is creeping up on us fast. 
> 
> I did not have time to beta read this chapter, so I apologize if there are typos.


	8. Small Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amanda brings Val back from the airport, but little does Robert and Cody know... Val is harboring three small secrets.

__**Rain hammers against my bedroom window as the storm outside picks up speed. The weather man predicted this weather and warned the town to stay indoors as it passes through, but of course more than half of Portland’s population chose to ignore the warnings and are now scrambling about to get inside before things get worse. My brother taught me to love storms as we grew up. Whenever one occurred, no matter what we were doing, my brother would drag me to the nearest window to watch the lightning and as the winds blew over trash cans. I think that’s one of the fondest memories I have of him.  
** **My parents left more than two hours ago to go blow their money off at some casino. They failed to tell me when they would be back, but I know this cycle like the back of my hand by now. They will be gone for a couple of days and when they come back, they will work to recover the money they lost and, somehow, they will find a way to blame my brother and I for their loses. The pattern never changes.  
** **Tension is growing between my brother and I. He’s up to something and he knows that I know. I want to ask him what he’s doing or what he’s planning, but I also don’t want to intrude on something I have no business in. I’m worried that if things do not sort out soon, I’m going to lose my cool and maybe my brother along with it. We have always been known to butt-heads from time to time, but this feels different. I think he’s trying to leave.  
** **I’m not sure what I would do without my brother. Because my parents do not, he’s the only one who has truly supported me for all of my life. When our father is being particularly rough, my brother always stands up for me. If he left, he would be taking a part of me with him and even though it sounds selfish, he would be leaving me alone with my parents.  
** **In my hands I hold my first complete sketch book. Alex and I are set to go to college; everything is all ready to go. I’m both excited and anxious for graduation. Graduation will free me from my parents, but it will also mean that a much larger part of my life is starting. Alex keeps telling me that I’m worrying way too much. Honestly, I don’t think I would have made it this far without her. She keeps me grounded just as my brother keeps me protected.  
** **A light knock on my bedroom door draws me from my thoughts. For a moment I think the sound came from something being knocked over outside, but then the same knocking happens again. I slip out from my bed and pad over to the door, already having a strong guess on who is on the other side. Upon opening the door, I find a very soaked and emotionally distraught Alex. She stumbles forward and crashes into my arms, sobbing against my shoulder. Without question, I hold her close to me and ignore the fact that her wet clothes and hair soak into my clothes.  
** **“Alex, you’re all wet. What happened? Are you okay? Did something happen?” I ask frantically.  
** **As carefully as I can, I guide Alex back to my bed and sit her down on the edge. She sits there trembling and dripping as she sobs on my bed. Unsure of what else to do, I peel off her jean jacket and hang it up on the back of my door to dry. Alex turns on the lamp that sits on my nightstand, bringing a little light to my room. In her hand, I spot a small, thin, object that she keeps concealed in a fist. I want to ask her about the object, though my priority right now is to get her out of those clothes.  
** **From my dresser, I pull out a clean long-sleeved shirt and a pair of my sweatpants. I offer both articles of clothing to Alex, but she sits frozen on my bed. Something is wrong with her and I’m willing to bet all that I have that it has something to do with that object in her hand. Not knowing what else to do, I plop down beside her and keep the dry clothes on my lap. I don’t mind that my bed is getting wet from her sitting there. All I care about is if she’s okay and all signs are pointing to not okay.  
** **“Alex, you can tell me. Whatever it is, I’m here for you. Tell me what’s wrong,” I urge.  
** **Without a single word as the tears continue to flow down her cheeks, Alex opens her hand to reveal what she had clutched in her fist. A pregnancy test… and it’s positive. I stare at it for a long time, lost for explanations.  
** **“You’re the father… I think I’m a month along. I’ll understand if you want to leave me. I won’t ask you to stick around to help me raise it,” Alex says quietly in a broken voice.  
** **Looking for a temporary distraction, I rise from the bed and pull Alex with me. As I pull her wet clothes off of her and replace them with my dry ones, I process the news in my head. Alex is pregnant with my baby. Our baby. She’s pregnant with our baby and she’s going to keep it.  
** **Once the wet clothes are handled, I turn back to Alex and find that same troubled expression on her face. She’s worried, terrified. We’re about to go off to college and she’s… pregnant. This was not what I had in mind for tonight.  
** **“If you think I’m going to leave you because you’re pregnant, you clearly don’t know me that well,” I finally say.** **I grab a clean gym towel from my basket of clean laundry and toss it to Alex, who then uses it to dry her hair.** **“We’ll make it work, Alex. We have in the past and we’ll do it again. Now, my parents might actually kill me, but I won’t abandon you to raise the baby on your own. We’re in this together,” I say confidently.  
** **Right away, most of the stress melts away from Alex’s face and in that moment, I swear she is the most beautiful woman to have ever walked this planet. She may be pregnant, stressed, and wet from the rain… but she’s beautiful and she’s mine.  
** **“So you’re going to stay then? You’ll help me raise the baby?” Alex asks nervously as if she expects what I said to be a prank.  
** **I guide Alex to my bed and take my place beside the wall. Alex, almost unwillingly, crawls in beside me and pulls the comforter up to our chests.** **“I’ll stay until you tell me to leave, Alex. I just have one question," I say.  
** **Alex looks over to me in the dull light from my lamp and a small smile stretches onto her lips. “Yeah?”  
** **“If it’s a girl, can we name her Amanda?” I ask.  
** **Alex laughs and curls up next to me. My hand finds her stomach and as I press my palm to where the baby is growing inside of her, I feel an overwhelming feeling of love.  
** **“You got it. I think she’s going to be a girl, anyways. And she has her father’s attitude,” Alex says with certainty.  
** **I scoff at her assertion. “It’s a fetus right now. How could it possibly have my supposed attitude?”  
** **Alex gives me a knowing smile and brings herself close to me. I welcome her in my arms and although it’s impossible to tell right now, I think Alex is right. Though, whatever that baby grows up to be, I will love her… or him. The baby will be strong and it will be a fighter and it will have a very good head on its shoulders because it will have Alex for a mom.** **Sure, I wasn’t necessarily expecting a pregnancy announcement when I opened my door tonight. My mother may throw me out and she attempt to ban me from ever seeing Alex again, but I know everything will be okay. We have each other and as long as that rings true, I know nothing can go wrong.**

            I startle awake from my nap. As the room comes into focus, I try to recall the dream I had. I remember feeling secure and happy, but what I dreamt of has completely left my mind. Sighing, I push myself up from the bed and grab the closest clean shirt I can find. The house seems unusually quiet, but I know Robert is here because we’re supposed to be waiting for Val and Amanda to get back from the airport and their errands.  
            Downstairs, I spot Robert on the couch. He looks mildly tired and he’s clearly worn out physically from all of the work we’ve had to do in the past two days to make sure everything is ready to go for the wedding. I sit down next to him and watch as his facial expressions slowly transition between being filled with nerves to being somewhat calm.  
            Robert anxiously fidgets with the hem of his shirt to keep himself busy. We decided that we would avoid telling Val about the baby until she’s settled in and ready to handle the news. It’s bad enough Jesse, Val’s spouse, had to stay behind and work. The last thing we want to do is pile more stress on Val’s shoulders. There’s no way of knowing how she’ll react, but I suspect things will go a lot better than what Robert is making it out to be.  
            I extend my hand out to Robert’s and pull it away from his shirt before he can ruin it from fidgeting so much. He looks at me questionably, but understands when I redirect his hand to Betsy who sits in between us. The dog lovingly accepts Robert’s pets and when Max sees that Betsy is getting attention, she jumps down from the couch in front of us to come over lie on my lap even though she hardly fits.  
            “It’s not too late. We can run down to the Coffee Spoon and buy Val her favorite drink and a few loafs of the banana bread as a peace offering,” Robert anxiously says.  
            I roll my eyes and begin to give Max the attention she came over here for. “Robert, you’re stressing. If Val gets upset over the baby, then I will take the fall for it. Everything will be fine. Stop worrying so much.”  
            Robert makes a whining sound and looks up to the ceiling. His stress is not going to go away anytime soon, so the best I can do is distract him until it’s time. After I nudge Max off of me, I grab one of my guitars and a pick from behind the couch. I strum out the intro slowly, working myself up to the lyrics. Robert has heard me sing numerous of times, but it still feels like the first time every time I do it. He always encourages me to sing and I think right now is the perfect time to try again.  
 _“…She's a good girl, loves her mama… loves Jesus and America too. She's a good girl, who's crazy 'bout Elvis. Loves horses and her boyfriend too…”  
_             Robert turns his attention to me, a little caught off guard by my willingness to sing. I’m not sure when I sang for him last. I mindlessly sing all the time, it doesn’t matter what I’m doing. I could be doing the dishes, cleaning, or even watching TV and I’ll start to sing. But full on performing with my guitar? It has certainly been a while.  
 _“…And it's a long day livin' in Reseda. There's a freeway runnin' through the yard. And I'm a bad boy, cause I don't even miss her… I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart…”  
_             As if my singing is actually doing something, Robert leans back against the couch cousins and his eyes carefully watch my hands as I play the song out. If I had known my singing works as a legitimate distraction, I probably would have started doing this months ago. Hell, maybe I’ll start following Robert around with my guitar whenever he's stressed.  
 _"I wanna glide down over Mulholland… I wanna write her name in the sky… I'm gonna free fall out into nothin'… Gonna leave this world for awhile…”  
_             The first time Robert caught me singing was an absolute train wreck. He showed up way too early at my house and as a result, caught be being a dork in my kitchen. I remember feeling so embarrassed. Actually, I remember wanting to melt into the floor so I wouldn’t have to deal with the embarrassment.  
 _“Oh… Free fallin'… Now I'm free… Oh, free fallin'… Free fallin'…”  
_             As the last chord rings out, Robert and I make eye contact. By some random trick of fate, my singing worked and he no longer wears that expression of stress and worry on his face.  
            “Remind me why you don’t sing more often? You’re really good, Codes.” Robert questions.  
            I shrug and put my guitar and pick away back behind the couch. Val and Amanda should be on their way back now. Robert and I are currently sitting in what will be the last few minutes of alone time before the honeymoon. When the girls get back, it will be busy and chaotic from that point on. People will be in and out of the house, the girls will be setting things up, and Robert and I will have to squeeze in to fit into the schedule. For such a small wedding, this has got to be busiest things have been around here for a while.  
            “When we get to the location for the honeymoon, promise me you won’t spend day and night out in the woods cryptid hunting,” I request, nearly begging my fiancé.  
            Robert snorts and picks Betsy up so he can set her in her bed with Max. With the space he now has, Robert leans over and places a slightly chaste kiss on my neck. “I will make no such promises. The only thing I’m willing to promise you is we defiantly spend a lot of time doing dirty things and watching movies. And not celebrating my birthday,” He says in a matter-of-factly tone.  
            I roll my eyes and twist how I’m sitting on the couch so I can face him better. “Robert, we’re celebrating your birthday. I have let the previous ones slide, but not this one. I’ll have husband rights. You can’t fight me on that.”  
           “What the fuck are husband rights?” Robert asks, blatantly confused.  
           “I dunno… The right to celebrate my partner’s birthday whenever the hell I feel like it?”  
           “You totally just made that up.”  
           “So what if I did? We’re celebrating your birthday, Bobert,” I say, hopefully making it clear that I will not change my mind on this.  
            Robert groans and runs a hand through his hair that still needs to be cut before the wedding. “Seriously, what do I have to do to get you to stop calling me that?”  
            “Oh, no. There’s no negotiating that,” I say with a laugh. Bobert will never stop. Ever.  
            “Whatever you say, Cocoapuffs.” Robert mutters, defeated.  
            From outside, I hear the Jeep pull into the driveway. Robert and I snap our attention to the entry way and wait anxiously for our girls to walk through the front door. Amanda knows not to mention anything to Val about the baby and I can only hope she kept that secret for us. With the wedding so close, Robert and I really should be trying our hardest to be stress free, but it seems that telling Val is proving to be quite the stress causer.  
            Amanda is the first through the front door. She damn near kicks it down and steps aside to hold it open for Val. Though, unlike what Robert and I thought, Val is not in a wheelchair. Instead, she is  _walking_ slowly with a cane. Robert’s jaw practically drops. We never thought Val would be able to walk again, but here she is. Being the shocked father that he is, Robert gets up from the couch and hurries over to his daughter. I follow too, but a few steps behind him.  
            “Hey, dad. Fancy seeing you here,” Val says with a smile on her face.  
            Robert is at a complete loss for words. Whatever feud they were having between them is forgotten now. Robert, unable to do anything else, steps forward and pulls his kid into a hug. Val is surprised by this, but hugs her father nevertheless.  
            “Why didn’t you tell me you are on your feet again, kid?” Robert asks as he steps back to look at Val again as if he’s making sure it’s not an illusion.  
            “I wanted to surprise you. We found out about six months ago, but nobody knew if it would stick. I wanted to wait until we knew if this is progress. I didn't want to give hope and then take it away,” Val explains.  
            I smile and pull Amanda over for a side hug. She knew about this, there’s no doubt about that. The two of them have been seeing each other a lot to plan the wedding and yet, Amanda kept the secret and it appears to be that way on both ends.  
            “Do you want to celebrate? I think there’s wine in the kitchen.” Robert asks enthusiastically.  
            Val smiles, but shakes her head no. “As much as I would love a glass of wine, I have to decline.”  
            Robert raises an eyebrow in confusion and out of the corner of my eye, I see Amanda smiling. My eyes immediately dart to Val’s stomach as I start to connect the very few dots I have in my head. Val, who is normally very fit, has a swollen stomach.  
            “There’s uh… no easy way to say this. I tried to think of a way to explain it that would be cool and fun but,” Val says, “I couldn’t. So, naturally, I have to just say it.”  
            Amanda looks as if she’s going to explode. Robert, on the other hand, is internally freaking out. He must think there is something wrong with Val, but it’s quite the opposite.  
            “In about six months, you guys will be grandparents,” Val admits.  
            Robert’s eyes widen and they drop down to Val’s stomach. Val gestures for him to touch it and he does. With his palm securely above the baby, Robert can now see and feel the pregnancy that I somehow managed to guess beforehand.  
            “So I’m going to be a grandpa?” Robert asks nervously.  
            I can tell the idea of him being a grandpa is not sitting well in his mind because of the whole age bit, but I know he’s more than excited to hear his daughter is expecting. How could he not be? Robert Small is going to become a grumpy grandpa.  
            “Yes, you are. You and Cody both. Jesse, unfortunately, can’t carry children so we decided that I could give it a try and the baby is very healthy. The doctor predicts no complications. Even with situation with my legs,” Val confirms.  
            Robert finally cracks a smile and takes a step back to really look at his daughter. I feel like right now is probably the best time to break our news, even though Robert and I agreed to wait a little bit. There’s no use in hiding something like this when she is so willing to tell us her secrets.  
            “Val, there’s actually something Robert and I need to tell you,” I say slowly.  
            Val looks over at me and waits patiently as I find the correct way to explain this. Robert gives me a look of panic and I think he’s considering running out the front door. This will work out, I know it will.  
            “In early May, your father and I will be adopting a baby. There’s an entire story behind the decision if you want or need to hear it. I hope you’re as excited to become a big sister as we are excited to raise a baby,” I say with confidence even though I’m screaming with panic on the inside.  
            Val’s face goes expressionless. There’s no way to tell what she’s thinking. Robert looks as if he’s going to explode and I do not have the words available to me to make this easier. She knows that this baby will get everything she never had, she knows that Robert will be a better father this time around, but she also knows that no matter what, she will always be Robert’s first baby.  
            “Once I get settled in, I think I want to hear this story,” Val begins, “but, I am happy for you two and I’m excited to become a big sister along with Amanda. I guess now would be the appropriate time to point out that Jesse and I are moving to Maple Bay. Our kids can grow up together.”  
            Robert lets out the air he was holding in his lungs with an audible exhale and smiles wide. Things are going to be okay now. Everything will be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babies... BABIES EVERYWHERE.
> 
> After this story is complete, I'm thinking of writing another 'Robert DDADDS' fic where, instead of starting with Robert's good ending, it starts after Cody chose the bad ending route. The story will show how they fell in love from there and blah blah blah. I'm not completely sure if I will do it, but I probably will.


	9. December 28th, a day to be Wedded and Loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day is here. Cody and Robert's wedding has finally arrived and by day's end, they will be comfortably at their honeymoon location. Nothing could take away from their happiness today.

_December 28 th  
_            “Dad, wake up! Craig is waiting for you downstairs.”  
            Amanda nudges my shoulder over and over again until I finally, and regretfully, open my eyes. A dull glow of light shines from my bedside nightstand lamp that was clearly turned on by my daughter, shinning just brightly enough to make my eyes squint as I try to wake up after a long night of finalizing wedding details and a bachelor party. Beside me, Robert is still fast asleep and is mostly buried under the comforter and pillows.  
            “Get up and wake Robert up too. Val is sending him with Mary to get a haircut.” Amanda says as she bounces out of the room, closing the door behind her.  
            I groan and roll onto my side. Beneath the covers, Robert and I are a tangled mess. Val let him get a little too buzzed last night on only God knows what and when we finally got into bed, he was not particularly keen on  _not_  touching me. It was kind of adorable, but I was admittedly a little concerned. As a result, I severed as Robert’s pillow for most of the night and only got him off of me when Betsy and Max wiggled between us for about an hour.  
            I have a strong feeling that my daughter will come back and start jumping on the bed if I do not get going within the next minute, and so I search under the blanket for any part of Robert’s body that I can use to wake him up with. I come in contact with his waist first and with what little motivation I have to move, I start poking him. Robert groans and turns over so his back is to me, taking a pillow with him to hug against his chest. I sigh and scoot closer to him, moving my hand from his waist to his ribs. If he refuses to wake up to the poking, tickling will have to do.  
            Instantly, he jolts awake and rolls onto his back, trapping one of my arms under his body. He glares at me and I give him a tired and expressionless face in return. Amanda better have coffee going downstairs or I might pass out on Craig.  
           “Amanda requests that we wake up. You have to get a haircut, Mary is taking you,” I mumble sleepily.  
            Robert rolls his eyes and tosses the pillow off of him, landing it on the foot of the bed. Max lifts her head in complaint, but decides to use the thrown pillow as a new headrest and falls right back to sleep. “Why do we have to wake up so early? Whose idea was it to let the girls plan all of this anyways?” He complains.  
            I crack a half-attempted smile and slide my hand back across Robert’s waist to pull myself closer to him. He welcomes my closeness with a suggestive look on his face and I laugh.  
            “It was both of our ideas. They were hounding us about it, remember?” I remind him.  
            Robert sighs and tiredly rubs his eyes. “I still think we deserve more sleep than what we got. I think Val was trying to kill me last night.”  
            I snort and bring my lips to his neck where I leave a sloppy kiss. “You’ll get plenty of sleep during the honeymoon. I’ll put it on the agenda.”  
            “There’s a damn agenda for that too?” Robert asks, astonished.  
           A smile stretches onto my lips as I draw back just far enough to look at him. “Oh, yeah. There’s an agenda alright,” I say as I provocatively dip my fingertips under the waistband of his sweatpants.  
           Robert starts to laugh, but he is caught off by a sudden pounding on the bedroom door. “Dad, I will come in there and drag you out of bed. Let’s go!” Val threatens.  
           Immediately, Robert throws the comforter off of him and climbs out of the bed. “Fooling around will have to wait. I’m pretty sure she’ll come in here and beat me with that cane of hers if we stay in bed any longer,” Robert says as he stumbles to the dresser for pants in a clumsy manner.  
            I climb out of the bed not too long after Robert and find my workout sweatpants and shoes from within the closet. The last thing I want to do right now is go on a run, but I’m almost certain I lack the option of choice. Apparently making Craig my best man also meant that he could torture me with exercise early in the morning for the sake of my own health.  
            Upon coming out of the closet, now dressed, I find Robert sitting on the edge of the bed as he plays with the sleepy dogs. I learned a long time ago not to underestimate Robert’s love for our dogs. Not too long ago, he nearly had a heart attack when Betsy tripped down the last few steps of the stairs. He was so worried that she may have hurt herself that he called Damien. That was a very exciting morning.  
            “In case the girls don’t let us see each other again before the actual reception, I apologize in advanced for all of the shit Val is going to make you go through,” I say as I make my way over to the bathroom.  
            Robert momentarily stops playing with the dogs to cast a glance at me. “I’m blaming you if I ditch the wedding, then. Just meet me in the woods and we’ll run far away from all of this madness.”  
            I laugh and garb my toothbrush from the holder. “You’re the one who wanted to get married, remember? I think this ring declares that you wanted it first,” I joke as I hold up the hand with the engagement ring even though I know full well that it was me who was considering marriage long before he was.  
            Pounding on the bedroom door starts up again, but this time includes both of the girls. Hurriedly, I brush my teeth and give Robert a passing kiss goodbye before opening the door to start this day of blissful doom. Amanda grabs me by the arm and drags me down the stairs. She makes a sharp beeline to the kitchen and has me sit down at the island beside Craig, who is way too cheerful and energized for this time of day.  
            “There you are. Amanda was about to send me up there to get you, bro,” Craig says excitedly.  
            I provide a tired laugh and quickly grasp the cup of coffee Amanda slides my way. I have very little care for the burning sensation the coffee leaves on my throat as I hurriedly drink it. Both Amanda and Craig give me a look of worry, but I pass it off with a yawn.  
            “Let’s get this over with. I have a long day and a long flight after the wedding to look forward to,” I say as happily as I can.  
            Craig laughs and rises from his chair at the island. “And that is exactly why a morning run will do you some good.”  
            I laugh as sarcastically as I can and follow Craig out to the sidewalk. He and I walk until we reach the end of the cul-de-sac where we break into a light jog. Craig, since I was shot, has slowly been getting me back into the habit of running. It does my health a lot of good even though I would much rather be at home sleeping and I know Robert appreciates what it does for my body.  
            As we near the park, Craig starts to gradually pick up the speed. I follow right beside him with ease and even though I’m trying to ignore it, my lower abdomen is causing me a little discomfort. My doctor cleared me for physical activity just a few weeks ago, but even Robert has been hesitant to let me go on runs and to the gym. It’s all a part of the healing process though and I have to push through the hard part to get better.  
            I snap out of my thoughts when Craig suddenly comes to a stop and grasps my right bicep to stop me as well. For a solid minute, I’m at a loss and cannot figure out why he stopped running. Then, I follow his eyes and find what he’s looking at.  
            “Bro, isn’t that your mother? What is she doing in Maple Bay?” Craig asks.  
            I gulp and stare at my mother who sits peacefully on a park bench. I have no explanation for why she would be here today of all days. Today is supposed to be my day and I would have preferred it if she stayed  _far_  away from it. Unsure of my exact intentions, I walk over to the bench she sits on and internally brace myself for absolutely anything that could come out of this.  
            “Cody, what a wonderful surprise,” My mother says upon spotting me.  
           Craig is right behind me, thankfully, and my mother right away recognizes him. One time, back in college, I brought Craig home with me to help pack up my bedroom and what was left of mine around the house because I was moving out and needed to get my stuff out of there before too long. My parents met Craig during that time and right away Craig picked up on why I prefer to not be around my family and why I typically avoid talking about them.  
            “What are you doing in Maple Bay?” I ask, having no restraint on the annoyance in my voice. “You have no reason to be here.”  
            The annoyance seems to fly right over her head and in response, she smiles. “I heard my son was getting married today. I thought I would drop by.”  
            Craig and I exchange glances of confusion. Nobody here has contact with my mother or let alone knows who she is besides Craig, myself, Robert, and Amanda. I know none of the adults would have said anything, but Amanda… She got the information out of my daughter.  
            “Did you seriously go through my daughter to get information again?” I ask bitterly.  
           As a father, I know Craig understands why I’m frustrated. Amanda knows very little about her grandmother and because my mother seems to think Amanda is a source for private information on my life, it may be time to sit my daughter down and explain why I have kept them separated for all of this time. My mother is using Amanda to get to me.  
            “Now, Cody. I have a right to know these things. You’re my only son now and you’re about to get married. I want to be a part of it,” She explains.  
            My mother –No … she stopped being my mother years ago–  _Julia_  plasters a smile on her face as if nothing she said was wrong. Even Craig looks uncomfortable and given the conversation I’m having with the woman who failed to be a proper parent to me, I can’t blame him. Everything about this is uncomfortable.  
            “So what, then? You thought you would show up unannounced and crash my wedding? You were not invited, Julia.” I question with venom in my voice.  
            She knows exactly why I refuse to play nice with her. After spending eighteen years in the hell she called a home, I decided not to tolerate it anymore. She knows she’s at fault, but she would never admit.  
            “Cody, please. I’ll keep to myself. All I want is to watch my only son get married and then I’ll get out of your hair until it’s time to adopt the baby,” Julia begs.  
            I sigh heavily. There is no way I can send her off. If I refuse to let her into the wedding, she will find some way to take the baby away from Robert and me. I know exactly how she plays her games.  
             “You do realize I’m getting married to a man, right? And that the wedding will be full of very gay and bisexual men, right? Even Robert’s daughter is a lesbian.” I press in hopes she will change her mind.  
            Julia nods along with my words, but shows no signs of changing her mind. “I’m aware, Cody. I want to be a part of your life and if I have to change my ways to do that, I’m willing.”  
            I nearly flinch in surprise. I never thought I would hear her be so willing to change her ways. Though, I know it’s not as wonderful as it appears to be. She’s only bending over backwards for me because she no longer has Tyler. I’m his replacement, her second and only choice.  
           “If you cause any problems, you will leave. You will let Amanda and Val handle the wedding stuff and you will not interfere. Understood?” I say, laying down the thick rules to prevent disaster.  
            “Like I said, I will keep to myself, Cody. I will see you at the wedding,” Julia replies.  
            Without saying anything more to her, I turn on my heel and start to walk away. Craig follows closely behind until he can catch up enough to walk comfortably by my side. Everything about that conversation makes me want to claw at my insides. I just have to tolerate her until the baby is officially with Robert and me. Then, hopefully, things can go back to how they were.  
            “Sorry you had to hear all of that. It’s all a mess,” I apologize to Craig.  
            Robert’s parents couldn’t even make it to the wedding. Now I have to go find him and explain that my closed minded and pretentiously obnoxious mother will be at there tonight.  
            “So, uh… Tyler passed and you’re adopting?” Craig asks with a nervous laugh.  
            As we walk to the barber shop, where Robert should be even though he hates going to the barber, I explain everything to Craig. He’s my best friend and honestly, he more than deserves to know these things. He helped me and Alex with Amanda during college and has always been there when I needed him. Craig, of course, finds the news about Tyler to be a little alarming. He knew we had a horrible fight before he went off for the military, but the fact that Tyler banned me from his funeral came as a huge shock to Craig.  
            Even though it was quite a walk, Craig and I do eventually get to the barber shop. Sitting on one of the waiting chairs is Mary and at the counter, paying for the cut, is Robert. Craig goes to sit beside Mary and I go off to my fiancé. Robert is a little surprised to see me, given the fact that I was supposed to be on a run, but he snaps out of the surprise when he picks up on the irritation and worry in my eyes.  
            “If you’re here to tell me we should bail on the wedding, I’m going to tell you no. We’re too far in now,” Robert warns.  
            I shake my head and run a hand through my hair anxiously. “My mother is going to be at the wedding. I had no choice. She’s acting as if she wants to make things better between her and me, but I knew that if I sent her home, she would have tried to take the baby away from us. We just have to deal with her for tonight and then she’ll be gone.”  
            Robert stares at me blankly as he is a little caught off guard by the information. Though, something about the way he’s looking at me says differently. “I think you mostly said that for the benefit of yourself. I can handle your mother; I handle people like her all the time. If it comes down to it, I’ll stuff her in the closet until we leave,” Robert says with a smile. “No stress today. You’re supposed to be a happy groom and I’m supposed to be the other happy groom.”  
            I crack a weary smile and force Robert into a hug. He grunts in complaint, but hugs me back nevertheless. This grumpy bear will learn to accept affection one day… Especially if he becomes my husband. Affection will be everywhere; he will not be able to escape.  
            “You better clear out of here before Val comes by to pick me up. You’re breaking the schedule by being here,” Robert advises.  
            I unwillingly pull away from his body and turn to Craig. “I’ll sprint race you back to the house.” I challenge him with very little confidence in myself.   
           Craig instantly grins and before I know it, he’s bolting for the door.

            My fingers slowly button up the buttons on my black vest. There’s not much time now before the ceremony starts. I was sure this day would never arrive. The date has been pushed around and postponed so many times for various reasons. Though, somehow, the day is here and it’s down to minutes now. All of the people we invited that could make it are sitting under a huge canopy in the backyard, Robert is probably waiting beside Val, who is acting as the officiant tonight, and everything is all set up and ready to go.  
            I was amazed when I saw what the girls managed to do with the time they had. Amanda got up bright and early to banish the snow from the backyard and with the help of Craig, they set up a massive canopy that covers most of the backyard. Lights, tables, benches, and food has all been placed in the backyard in very strategic ways and it all looks… perfect. From what I could tell, and after a long conversation with him about it, Mat will be playing his own version of a wedding processional. Robert and I really wanted to avoid most of the traditions that come with a wedding, but Mat was very strict on keeping the processional. I’m excited to see what he came up with for us.  
            Amanda was very sneaky about the decorations. That girl is a pride enthusiast and she somehow managed to get subtle pride decorations for tonight and I have a feeling Mat helped her with some of them. Before all of the food went out to the backyard, I noticed rainbow frosted cookies and drinks that are individually colored to fit the rainbow. Not only has the food been hijacked, but there are a handful of multicolored balloons and candles around the place. My daughter… she just wants her dad to be gay and happy. I love her.  
            Val, although slightly immobile, put a lot of time and money into this. Robert and I covered most of the costs, but Val took on a lot of it to keep parts of the wedding a secret. There are things here tonight that probably cost her an arm and a leg. For example, the canopy and outdoor heaters were definitely not covered by the budget we gave the girls. I will have to find a way to thank her, but she is the spawn of Robert and I have a feeling that repaying her will be a challenge. She’s stubborn and resistant towards repayment, just like her father is.  
            Amanda suddenly pops her head in the bedroom. She has long since ditched her day clothes for a dark navy blue dress and her hair is done up all nice and pretty. She smiles when she sees me grabbing my tux jacket from the foot of the bed. I think her excitement for tonight is reaching its peak. She looks as if she could explode.   
            “It’s time to go, pops. Ready to do this thing?” She asks cheerfully.  
            I slide my arms into my jacket and make sure the flower Val chose for the Boutonniere is still there. “Of course I’m ready, Panda. Are you ready to give your old dad away?”  
            Amanda beams brightly with a wide smile and holds the door open long enough for me to walk through it before closing it. I’m nervous, but I’m defiantly ready to be married. Following my daughter, I walk down the steps to the first level and take my place at the back door. This is it. This is my wedding. It’s finally here and I have no clue what I’m doing.  
            After flagging Mat down to start the processional, Amanda links her arm with mine. Before I have the time to prepare myself, Amanda starts to lead me down the aisle. I take a brief moment to tune into the processional Mat came up with. Everything about it is beautiful, the piano… Mat’s voice… it’s the beyond what I imaged it would be. All of my friends and their kids are watching me as Amanda leads me to the front and I have to admit, it’s a little strange seeing everyone dressed so nicely.  
            My heart is pounding hard against me chest and for a passing moment, I think I’m going to pass out. Though, I take one look at Robert and everything settles down. There’s a cheesy ass smile on his face, but it’s the very same smile I feel in love with. Craig is in his rightful place as my best man and Mary, who Robert chose to be his best woman, is right where she should be. This is all simply perfect.  
            At the end of the line, Amanda leaves me to take her place beside her grandmother at the front bench. I’m not sure how Julia secured a spot up front, but I can’t be bothered by it right now. Not when Robert is looking at me the way he is. With numb legs, I take my place beside him and damn near collapse when I feel his hand brush against mine.  
            Val wrote everything she is going to say with the help of Amanda, so neither Robert nor I know what to expect. All we know for sure is our vows and the ‘I do’ part. This all one big surprise for both of us. The girls made sure of that.  
            “Friends, we have joined here today to share with Cody Prescott and Robert Small an important moment in their lives. Their time together, they have seen their love and understanding of each other grow and take form and now they have decided to live out the rest of their lives as one,” Val begins as the music quiets down.  
            When Robert and I started to fall for each other, I thought I would be lucky to be able to stand next to him and get married. Now, I’m really standing here and I’m really getting married to Robert Small. When did dreams become a reality?  
            “A marriage between a couple provides definition and structure to their relationship. In some ways, it’s more permanent than a tattoo and in others ways it shows how much one person is willing to tolerate the other’s snoring every night,” Val says with a smile as the crowd behind us laughs.  
            Robert snorts and he shoots a glance my way. In return I roll my eyes playfully because we are always arguing about who snores even though I know for a fact that Robert, while it’s quiet, snores every night.  
            “In marriage the ‘little’ things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hands, even though my father is stubborn about PDA. It is remembering to tell each other ‘I love you’. It is never going to sleep angry. It is standing together and facing the world. It is having the capacity to forgive and forget; to move on from all that has happened. It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow and learn.”  
            Everything Val is saying hits me right where it needs to make me feel emotional. I’m not too the crying point, but I’m pretty sure I’ll lose any shred of masculinity I have left when it comes time for Amanda to give her speech. Not that crying is not manly, but it certainly adds to the fact that I’m totally taking up the bride’s role in this wedding.  
            “The journey to get here has been long, but their love was fast. My dad was smitten when he first noticed the nerdy boy who moved in next door and Cody was swept of his feet when he walked into Jim and Kim’s for the first time and saw Robert there. It was, in simpler words, a match made by Cupid himself. It was inevitable and now they stand here before all of you to be wed.”  
            Val closes her folder with her script, signaling that it’s time for the vows. Robert and I turn to face each other and from the inside of his tux jacket, he pulls out my wedding ring. “You know I’m awful when it comes to words and clichés, but I managed to pull something off for this.” Robert begins slowly and clearly. “To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I met you. And with this ring, I am promising you many things. And you know how I feel about promises, so know that I mean every word of this.  
            I vow to take your hand when it’s too dark in the forest, and the dogs out when it’s too early. I promise not to drink your drinks, even though I am thirsty and your drink is literally right there because I would like to avoid getting slapped. I vow to love you, even when you’re being a complete ass because you woke up too early and went to bed too late. I vow to accept your dorky ways and to spend many hours with you on the couch watching movies. And as the usual vows go, I vow to be your partner for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, for when we bicker and the very, very rare occasion when we agree on a restaurant to go to. I Robert, take you, Cody to be my lawfully wedded husband and partner.”  
            Although I’m laughing and smiling because of his sarcasm and silly, but meaningful, vows, I still find it within myself to give Robert my hand. As he slides the ring onto my finger to meet my engagement ring, the smile returns to my face. It’s taking everything I have not to turn to Amanda, who has been taking pictures this entire time, and make a silly face at her. This moment is too perfect to get distracted from. And now, it is my turn to deliver my vows.  
            “Well, uh, I’m actually good with words and clichés, but this took me months to write because I wanted it to be perfect. Walking into Jim and Kim’s that night was the best forced choice I ever made. I was stupidly head over heels for you within minutes. With this ring, I am giving you my promises and love.  
            I promise to listen to endless hours of Santana and Tom Waits, even though we both know I have more variety in my playlists. I promise to love you through Ikea, be it during the buying or assembly of furniture procured therein. I promise to listen to all of your stories and to clean you up when you’re in denial about being potentially deathly sick. I want us to grow old and crusty together, to shake our fists at the teenagers we live near, and to talk endlessly about the old days when things were better, cheaper, and generally more wholesome.  
            It’s clear we both wrote similar vows and here is where they join. I vow to be your partner for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, for when one of us forgets to pay the electric and for when you steal the blankets in your sleep. I Cody, take you, Robert to be my lawfully wedded husband and partner.”  
            Robert laughs and gives me his hand so I can place the ring on his finger. Val smiles sweetly and starts the last portion of the ceremony. This is the portion I have looked forward to for months. “Robert Small, do you take Cody Prescott to be your husband?” Val asks.  
            A small smile plays on Robert’s lips, one that screams his answer. “I do.”  
            “And Cody Prescott, do you take Robert Small to be your husband?”  
            My heart is pounding again, but I have never been more positive about this in my life. This is it. “I do.”  
            Val damn near jumps with excitement, I can tell just by the way she clutches her hand on her cane. “Then the ceremony is complete. I now pronounce you to be husband and husband. You may now seal your vows with a kiss.”  
            I think Robert is the first to move, or maybe it was me, but either way, our lips meet and neither one of us can kiss right with the smiles on our faces. The people we stand in front of cheer, Craig delivers a wolf whistle, and my daughter is firing away with her pictures. I’m married now. Hell…  _we’re_  married now. We made it here, we did it.

            The night flies smoothly after the ceremony. Robert and I are now sat at a small, round, table with our wedding gifts in a laundry basket behind us. Speeches came after the ceremony and like I thought I would, I lost it when Amanda got up there to talk. Then it came time for Val and Robert was trying very hard to not let his emotions show. After the speeches, our neighbors came up to the table to express their congrats and anything else they wished to say. It was nice to talk to everyone because it has been particularly hard to do that lately.  
            Craig was the first one up here. He was very happy and bubbly. Then it was Mary, who gave Robert and me a lecture about how much sex we’re supposed to have during the honeymoon. Hugo and Brian were next in line. They spoke to us both and explained how much they would love for another neighborhood get-together. I think they were hinting for us to organize something now that we’re the newly wedded couple. Damien and Mat came up to us next. Mat was babbling on and on about how awesome it was to perform the processional and he thanked me a million times for letting him do it. Damien, on the other hand, offered to take the dogs for a free cleaning.  
            The second to last person to come up to us, excluding the kids who all came up to us at once, was Joseph. There is still a lot of tension between him and Robert, but both men bit back their differences. Joseph was very kind and expressed how happy he was for us. And, as it turns out, Joseph is actually moving into my old place to be closer to his kids. It’s a bit odd, but at least the house won’t be empty anymore.  
            Finally, my mother came up to our table. Robert and I put up our defenses immediately, Robert even more so for my sake. Though, Julia was actually tolerable for a change. She expressed how happy she was for us and explained how she is going to start educating herself on the pride community, as she put it. In reality, I’m still reluctant to buy into this façade she has up right now, but it was nice to hear kind words from her for a change… even if the words were probably forced and left a sour taste in her mouth.  
            When the clock hits eight, Amanda bounds up to the table with Robert’s truck keys. She gives the keys to him and starts smiling again like she has been all night. “It is officially time for you guys to get the hell out of here to catch your flight to PDX. Your bags are loaded and Val has the tickets,” She says.  
            After an exchanged glance, Robert and I rise from the table and start making our way out to the truck. Our friends tell us goodbye as we go and our daughters give us hugs goodbye on the porch. As we get into the truck and pull out of the driveway, I can’t help but smile like the happy idiot I have been all day.  
            On the way to the airport, Robert drives quietly and my hand finds its way to his thigh like it always does. Everything about today feels like a dream, but it was real and I am really married now. Even Robert, who is usually very bad at showing emotion, can barely keep his happiness of his face. I don’t think we realized how much we wanted this wedding.  
            At the airport, we grab our bags and go through the usual airport processes. We get our bags checked and take our carry-on bags through security, which went without problem for once. With only a half hour left before boarding, we killed time by walking around for a bit and we enjoyed the weird glances we got because a good portion of the people around us couldn’t tell if we were together or not. Though, our tuxedos that we forgot to change out of usually gave them a clue.  
            For the flight, we mostly slept and held each other’s hands. Neither of us had much to say and if we did, we decided to wait until we got to where we are going. Landing at PDX was nice and it felt odd to arrive back home. I lived in Portland for so long and then I left it behind for a better life. Now, I’m back and have a two-hour drive to look forward to. I missed Portland.  
            The rental truck that Val picked out specifically for her dad was, thankfully, ready for us by the time we needed it. Robert was very excited when he saw it and wasted no time getting into it to start the engine. I, on the other hand, wound up loading our bags before climbing into the passenger side. The drive to our destination was, like everything else has been, quiet and peaceful. I damn near cried when we only had a minute left on our traveling journey.  
            As we pull into the driveway of the cabin on Mt. Hood that was given to me many years ago by my uncle, I waste no time getting out of the vehicle. I love traveling, but it may have been smarter to stay in a hotel tonight as opposed to making the trip all in one go. Even Robert, who also loves traveling, is half alive and exhausted.  
            “Val wanted me to carry you other the threshold,” Robert comments as he fumbles for the cabin key in my tux jacket.  
            “Why can’t I carry you? I’ve been playing the bride all day,” I argue playfully.  
            Robert gives me a doubtful look and I glare at him. “Like you could carry me,” He challenges.  
            “I have literally hauled your ass all over the house, up and down the stairs multiple times,” I protest.  
            Robert unlocks the door and pushes it open all while analyzing me carefully. “How about we just walk through the door like normal people, get this shit inside, and go to sleep because it’s late?” He suggests.  
            I nod and start hauling things inside. Because we’re so tired, we only bring up the necessary bags to the master room and leave everything else downstairs. The only thing I want to do is get out of this monkey suit and get into bed with my husband. It’s so strange to think of him as that now.  _Husband_. I got married to Robert… holy crap.  
            “Robert?” I call out as I strip away my layers.  
            Robert pokes his head out from the master bathroom with his toothbrush hanging from his mouth. “What?” He asks with a mouthful of toothpaste.  
            “We’re married now.”  
            Robert rolls his eyes and goes back to brushing his teeth with nothing but his dress pants on. I pad into the bathroom behind him and hug him from behind. My fingers find their way to his belt buckle and with little effort, his pants drop to the floor. I bend down to pick the pants up as he steps out of them and put them away before they can get ruined. On the hunt for pajamas now, I open my suitcase and dig through my clothes until I find my sweatpants and suitable long-sleeved shirt.  
            “Bathroom is all yours,” Robert mumbles as he stumbles out and goes for his suitcase.  
            With my toiletries bag in hand, I re-enter the bathroom and get going on my nightly routine of teeth brushing and… that’s it. All I really do every night is brush my teeth and get out of my day clothes. Robert at least washes his face. Maybe I should pick up that habit too. It couldn’t hurt.  
            “What are we doing tomorrow?” Robert asks as he briefly comes back in the bathroom to drop off a stray deodorant stick.  
            I follow Robert after my teeth are brushed and go straight for the bed before he can claim a side. I’m almost too tired to bicker about sides tonight. For doing next to nothing, the flight and drive wore me out.  
            “I don’t have a plan for tomorrow. We should probably figure out the food situation. There’s a store down the main road. I kind of just want to relax and being lazy newlyweds.” I say quietly as I collapse onto the memory foam bed.  
            Robert climbs onto the open right side of the bed, the side not up against the wall, and leans up against the headboard. “Well you know… If we’re going to keep up with Mary’s sex demands, we can’t spend the whole day being lazy.”  
            “Mary is insane if she thinks we can fuck that many times in one day and still have dicks by the time we get back. I’m sorry, I’m weak. I can’t do it. Did you see how much fucking lube she gave us? She’s insane. Clinically insane, Robert.” I say, babbling on without realizing.  
            “You rant a lot when you’re tired. It’s kinda cute,” Robert points out and I can hear the smile in his voice.  
            “Oh, so now you tell me the things you find cute? It took us getting married for you to be a sap? I have been waiting for this day. Holy hell.”  
            Robert moves to lie down beside me and claims the spare pillow for himself. “For the record, I point those things out from time to time. And no, I’m still not a sap. I just find your tired ranting to be a bit attractive. Don’t judge me.”  
            Although half my face is smushed into the mattress because I’m kind of half on my side and half on Robert’s diagonally, I still provide a tired smile. “Bobert Small is a sap.” I say with an exhausted laugh.  
            Robert groans and hits me with the spare pillow he claimed. “Call me that one more time and we will be going for Mary’s quota.”  
            I push myself up onto my elbows and look at him questionably. “Using sex as a punishment? Cruel. Your teenage boy libido won’t stretch that far. Even if you tried. You can’t do it.”  
            “Wanna make a bet? It’s your ass on the line.” Robert challenges.  
            I flop back down onto the mattress and move my legs over to give Robert his room. “Not if we switch things up. But, no. I will not be making bets on your sex drive. You could fuck all day if I let you.”  
            Robert sets the spare pillow aside and scoots himself until he’s pressed up against. “You also don’t make sense when you’re tired. You totally just contradicted your entire point. You also cuss a lot more, it’s kinda hot.”  
            With my eyes closed, I pat my hand around until I find his face and press my palm against his mouth. “Sleep, Bobert. You’re scaring away the sheep.”  
            Because I married a man-child, Robert licks my palm and I groan. With my now saliva coated hand, I wipe the wetness off on Robert’s shirt and weakly try to push him away… which fails miserably. “You’re a child, Robert,” I grumble.  
            Robert laughs and maneuvers us around until I’m practically lying on top of him. “Yet, you married me knowing exactly how I am.”  
            My face is partially tucked into the crook of his neck, but my mouth is still free to use for talking. As his chest rises and falls, I go with it. I could sleep like this… “Why the hell are you still awake? You did all of the driving. Why are you not tired?” I question irritably.  
            “Because I’m kind of turned on right now and I am enjoying this conversation.” He explains simply.  
            “Robert, I swear to  _God_ … if you even try to fuck me right now, I will sleep in the other bedroom for the entire time we’re here,” I snap.  
            Not taking my threat seriously, Robert laughs. “I had no intention too, Codes. Even I know when to not mess with you. You’re like a god damn bear… who’s an ass.”  
            I think I might kill this man. “Robert, baby, I am begging you. If you let me sleep, I will do anything tomorrow. I just… please. My brain isn’t even functioning anymore.”  
            Robert laughs again, but I think I finally won because he pulls the comforter over us and his hand finds its way into my hair. “Yeah, alright, Codes.”  
            As Robert starts to play with my hair, I close my eyes and breathe deeply until I finally drift off to sleep. That is until Robert starts laughing as I start cursing up a storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap. This chapter turned out a lot longer than I planned. I nearly made it a double chapter, but it didn't quite meat the cut. Almost, though. I also had very little time to beta read, so this probably has a few issues.


	10. What Mary Requests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first day of Robert and Cody's honeymoon, which of course means they're gonna go to the store and fool around a bit when they get back to the cabin.

            I stare at my tired reflection in the mirror as the shower heats up behind me. I only managed to get four hours of sleep last night because of Robert’s weird mood. When he wasn’t poking me, he was kissing me and when he wasn’t kissing me, he talking endlessly about something irrelevant. I think in all of the time we have been together that is the most I have ever heard him talk. For somebody who loves silence, I was very caught off guard by how badly he wanted to talk with me.  
            Sighing, I pull my shirt up and over my head and take my briefs off, kicking them towards the designated dirty clothes pile area. Looking to get into the shower before I freeze, I open the glass door and step under the shower head; this place is very modern for how old it is. The hot water that pours down on me warms my skin and relaxes the muscles that grew tense from the flight and drives last night. Robert was able to work out a knot in my back, but my shoulders and lower back are still in rough shape.  
            I think Robert’s weird mood stems from the wedding and the idea of being married. For most of the trip here, he was silent. Then, when we arrived, he was bursting like a hyper child. That mood still lingers, in fact. This morning, when he accidentally woke me up by kneeing me in the lower back, I had to bury him under the pillows and blankets to get him to stop poking at me and tickling me. I love this mood because it’s something I have yet to experience with him, but I also know he simply just needs to burn off some of this energy.  
            As soon as I start to rinse soap from my body, I hear the bathroom door open and close. Robert comes into my line of sight and jumps up onto the counter to take a seat. Suddenly I feel a wave of Déjà vu and recall a time where we were in similar circumstances back in a hotel room when Val was in the hospital.  
            “What is with you and watching me shower?” I ask, turning towards him just enough to give him a curious face.  
            Robert shrugs innocently and flashes a grin. “It’s kinda hot and you’re kinda hot, so it turns out to be really hot.”  
            I scoff and turn around so the water rises off my chest. “I’m only kinda hot? And here I thought you married me for my stunning good looks,” I tease him.  
            Clear of the soap, I shut off the water and I am surprised when Robert opens the glass door to hand me a towel. His eyes quickly scan my exposed body and I roll my eyes, grabbing the towel from him to wrap it around my waist.  
            “Is it absolutely mandatory for you to get dressed? I’m enjoying this whole exposed thing you got going on.” Robert asks with a boyish grin on his face.  
             I laugh and slide past him to exit the bathroom on the hunt for clothes. “If I do that, I’m almost certain I will freeze to death.”  
            Robert grasps my hips from behind and pulls me hard against him despite the fact that I’m still pretty wet. “Oh, baby, I can think of a dozen ways to keep you warm.” He whispers into my ear.  
            Blushing furiously, I step away from his warm body and bolt for my suitcase in a desperate attempt to find clothes because I seriously am cold and Robert might lose his mind if I don’t get covered soon. His teenage boy libido is going through the roof now that we have two weeks to be alone with each other. As much as I wouldn’t mind having sex right now, we do have things we need to handle before we can even think about fooling around such as food.  
            Shamelessly, I drop my towel and pull on a clean pair of briefs. Robert, seeing a moment of opportunity, gets close to me again and slides his arms around my waist. He slips his thumbs under the waistband of the briefs and brings his lips to my neck, knowing what teasing me will get him. With a knowing expression on my face, I pull his hands off of me and turn around to face him.  
            “We need to go to the store. Neither of us has had breakfast or lunch and it’s nearly dinner time,” I say, placing both of my hands on his hips as I do.  
            “Just give me ten minutes and then we can leave,” He bargains, biting his lower lip.  
            Lip biting. He’s playing hardball and he knows it. He knows exactly what to do to get me to cave in. However, I’m starving and shivering now. “If we go to the store, I can give you as much time as you want. Some of us can’t live on empty stomachs, Bobert.” I finally reply.  
            His eyes are whining and I know his jeans have to be getting a little too tight for comfort right now, but food is my priority. It would be cruel to leave him hanging with nothing, so I lean forward and press my lips to his. Robert grins against my mouth and bites down on my lower lip, making me join in on the smiling when he releases it.  
            “If we go to the store and do what needs to be done, I’ll let you take me back up here to do whatever you want. I need food before we do anything,” I promise him.  
            Robert groans, but makes no more effort to get me in bed. With heated cheeks, I put the rest of my clothes on and towel dry my hair. Robert waits patiently as I put on deodorant and my shoes, though judging by the way he’s looking at me, he’s thinking of everything but going food shopping. It seems Robert’s weird mood has melted down into undying sexual cravings.  
            Once ready to go, I take Robert by the hand and drag him downstairs and out to the truck. He and I waste no time getting into the vehicle as it is both freezing and snowing at the moment. As Robert pulls out of the drive way, I notice his erection is still very much present in his pants. Laughing, I lean back against my seat and try to think of anything other than what’s going on with him before I get one myself.  
            Getting to the store doesn’t take long, seeing as it is only a mile away. It seems that Robert’s weird mood has returned again because as soon as I get a shopping cart, Robert stands on the end of it as I start to push him around.  
            “We need condoms,” Robert says absentmindedly as we round a corner.  
            The group of women we just passed start laughing and Robert rolls his eyes, having little to no interest in them whatsoever. “What? Didn’t Mary put some in the sex pack?” I ask, clearly a bit confused.  
            “Is that what you’re calling it now?” He asks with a grin. “Mary did pack some, but I hate the brand she put in there and she, I think purposefully, got the small kind. I believe it is her way of making a small dick joke without actually saying anything.”  
            I stop the shopping cart in the middle of the produce section and grab a few plastic bags for fruit and vegetables. We can always come back to the store, but I want to at least get the essentials for tonight. “So what you’re saying is you were more than ready to fuck me with a small condom on back in the bedroom because you were that desperate?” I ask in a low voice to prevent those within close proximity from hearing what I said.  
            Robert presses his lips together in a thin line and for the first time in a long time, he blushes. I gape at him, shocked that I got such a reaction out of him. “Oh, my god. Marriage has mad you soft,” I tease even though I’m dumbfounded.  
            Robert glares and throws a head of lettuce at me, which I catch with ease. Now this is the Robert I’m familiar with. “Shut up. I’m not a softy and marriage has nothing to do with it,” He grumbles.  
            I stop walking long enough to give him a doubtful look. “Robert, you’re one of the biggest softies I know. You get grumpy when I don’t let you touch me in bed  _and_  you cry during movies.”  
            He may be an angry bear half the time, but Robert does have his moments. He can’t say he’s not a softy when he seeks out hugs and kisses. The only thing he’s resistant about it PDA. However, I have noticed that he will never reject me in fear of hurting my feelings so maybe I can get away with toying with him right now. Deciding to test the waters, I nudge Robert to get down from the cart and he does reluctantly.  
            “I’m not a softy. I can name several other people who are way more soft than me,” He says, continuing on with the softy argument.  
            I rest both hands on his hips and lean in close, close enough to kiss him if I wanted to. “The people in our neighborhood don’t count, Robert,” I breathe.  
            I can tell he’s flustered and he’s trying very hard not to show it. He always gets like this in public. It’s actually really adorable. Before somebody can comment on us being like this, I press a soft kiss to his lips and step back with a grin on my face. Robert instantly busies himself with the zipper of his leather jacket, looking to distract himself before the blush can show up on his face.  
            “I don’t understand you. You get so embarrassed about minimal PDA, yet you are extremely territorial when somebody is hitting on me or when we’re at the bar… or really anywhere where there could be somebody looking at me in ways you don’t like," I say, pushing the cart to the dairy aisle.  
            Robert follows closely behind me and places a hand on my lower back briefly as he leans over to grab a half jug of milk. “I’m territorial because you’re mine and I don’t like sharing you with people who just want in your pants. It’s for your sake and my sanity. You’re worth a lot more to me than a drunken bastard at the bar. And now we’re married so if anyone tries to yank you from me while your ring is clearly visible, you can bet your ass I’m going to be grumpy about it.”  
            A smile starts to finds its way to my face as I think over what he said. In his own way, Robert can be very sweet and affectionate and he fails to notice it almost every time. “Well it’s good to know you love me for more than my dick and rugged good looks,” I say, which earns me a thump in the back of the head from Robert.  
            “You’re such a dumbass. I didn’t marry you for nothing. You have some qualities to you that I really enjoy,” He grumbles.  
            I abruptly stop my walking again, which results in Robert crashing into me. His hands grab at my waist frantically in order to stop himself from falling and I laugh mercilessly. I know I’m being a bit of an ass, but this is what he gets for keeping me up half the night. Plus, it’s not like he’s  _not_  enjoying this. He loves it when I get into moods like this because then he has a reason to be playful.  
            “So what were those qualities again, baby?” I ask warmly.  
            Robert grins and lightly pushes me. “Maybe I’ll tell you when we get back. I’m too distracted by your ass to think straight right now.”  
            Smiling, I start pushing the cart again with the mental image of Robert starring directly at my ass as I walk all over the store like the shameless boy he is.

            It took way longer than expected to make dinner. The reason? Robert and his sex drive. Only twice did I let him have some fun and it was those two times that made it really hard to focus on making dinner. His first attempt to distract me involved biting on my neck and whispering dirty things. The second attempt involved grinding and his skilled hands. He was trying so hard, but I eventually did finish dinner and I got some food into the both of us before the ravenous instincts started to kick in.  
            After dinner, we went upstairs to clean up and brush out teeth. Robert powered through his teeth brushing and freshening and I failed to understand why until he rushed out of the bathroom and locked the door from the outside. I have now been in here for close to ten minutes and the only things I can hear from the other side of the door is the occasional thump and what I think is the sound of a lighter.  
            Finally, Robert unlocks the door and cracks it open just enough for me to see him and only him. I give him a look of question and he shakes his head. “Everything going on in here is because of Mary and her requests. I have no idea where her interest in our honeymoon sex life came from, but she was very stern on me setting this up for at least one night because it would be, as she put it, romantic,” He explains very slowly.  
            “You know we don’t actually have to do what she suggested right? She’s not here, you know,” I say with a laugh.  
            Robert rolls his eyes and shifts his weight over to his left side. “Mary is a scary women and I would not be surprised if we opened up the closet and found her in there. I am fulfilling this one wish of hers just so we can say we did and who knows, we may do it again.”  
            Without another word, Robert steps aside to let me see what Mary requested of us. The first thing I notice is the candles and dim lights. There are candles scattered everywhere in the room, varying in shapes and sizes. On top of that, Robert set up his speaker for his phone, but it’s my phone that is hooked up to it and it’s playing music softly. When did it lose track of my phone?  
            “Whoa,” I finally say after a while.  
            “I think this is the gayest thing we have ever done,” He laughs.  
            “You mean besides the gay sex, the gay marriage, the gay make-out sessions, and the gay cuddling?” I ask, smiling wide.  
            “Okay, let me rephrase. This is probably the most cliché thing we have ever done. We’re about to have sex in a candle lit room with music going. Not to mention, this is the first time I’m getting into your pants as your husband,” Robert says coy grin on his face.  
            Robert takes me by surprise before I can respond with something sarcastic and witty. His hands slip underneath my shirt and clamps onto my hips as his lips crash against mine. I hungrily kiss him back and go straight for his belt with eager hands. As it turns out, I have been craving Robert just as much as he has been craving me. I think I can subject some of this to the atmosphere, but Robert is looking very sexy to me for some reason, more than he normally does. That husband line was a cheap line and he knows it, but it worked like magic to get me going.   
            Just as Robert’s pants fall to the floor, my shirt is in the process of being removed. His hands explore my bare skin, moving slowly over my muscles and sides. He loves to feel me anywhere he can. Moaning against him, I yank off his shirt and throw it down to the rest of the clothes. My lips travel from his mouth to his jaw and down to the crook of his neck. He hisses with pain when I graze my teeth against the flesh and in response, he rids me of my pants slowly.  
            “You have no idea how badly I want to fuck you,” Robert mumbles against my cheek.  
            I cup the side of his face and bring his lips back to mine that eagerly wait for the softness of his mouth. While sex is great, I could never get enough of kissing Robert. He’s an amazing kisser and when he puts his feelings into it, it becomes a mind blowing experience. I could kiss him for hours if our bodies let us. There is no way I could get tired of him or his lips.  
            “Well how about you get on with it, then?” I ask softly.  
            Robert takes my words seriously and out of nowhere he lifts me up and forces me to wrap my legs around his waist so I don’t fall. He then walks over to the bed with our lips connected and lowers me down slowly just so he can get the satisfaction out of it. The song that was playing melts into _Still Loving you_ by the Scorpions, which is probably one of the most cliché classic rock songs… not that I’m objecting to it  
            My hands wander all over Robert as he climbs on top of me. I start at his shoulders and slowly drag them down his chest and abs, circling around to his back to feel how the muscles are contracted to keep him hovering above me. From there, I venture past his waist and feel his ass, squeezing it once or twice before returning to his waist again. He has such a nice body, it’s perfect.  
           “I love you, Robert. I love you so much,” I say sincerely when there’s a break in our kissing.  
            Robert looks down on me with an emotion in his eyes that I rarely see. Cherishment. He needs to hear those words more often; he needs to know I love him no matter what. But that look in his eyes… it makes my heart race and it makes me smile.  
            “I love you too, Codes.”  
            Very slowly, Robert pulls down my briefs and I spring free. The past few days have been some of the best days I have ever had and I’m glad, more than glad, that I got to experience them with Robert. He’s everything I could ask for; he’s perfect in every aspect, even his broken pieces.  
            Robert, from the nightstand, grabs one of the condoms we bought and he places it in my hand. I stare at it questionably only to realize what he wants me to do. This is another one of those special nights.  
            “Take control for a little while. I don’t need prepping,” Robert says as he flops off of me to open side of the bed.  
             I push myself up onto my knees and ignore the way my heart hammers against my chest. Just like he did with me, I pull his briefs away slowly and toss them somewhere in the room. I rip the foil packaging of the condom and roll it onto myself, all while keeping eye contact with Robert. God, I love this man.  
            Robert, already knowing what I’m going to do, bends and spreads his legs to make room for my body. I grab for the bottle of lube and press my lips against his inner thigh as I do, making sure to bite him at least once. Robert clutches the sheets into his fists and after a considerable amount of lube I line myself up with his entrance and lean down to kiss him passionately as I push the tip inside. Robert groans and moves his hand to my back, where he securely hangs onto me.  
            In the blind mess of kissing him, I push myself all the way inside and slowly start to ease myself back and forth. Robert moans every time I nail him in the right area and I think each moan that he lets slip turns me on more and more each time. It’s hot… it’s sexy. Picking up the pace now, I drop my lips back down to his neck and find his sensitive patch with my tongue. He gasps when I bite down on it and one of his hands finds its way into my hair to lightly tug.   
            Moving much faster now, I ram into him harder with more accuracy and go blind from the sensations that come from being inside of him. His fingers dig into my back and when he starts moving along with me, I reach my climax in a record breaking time.  Moaning deeply against his neck, I unload and breathe in his scent. Robert, wanting to waste no time, immediately flips us over and pulls me out of him. I dispose of the condom into the bedside trash can while Robert gets a condom of his own and the bottle of lube from the spot I left it.  
            “You’re so fucking sexy…” Robert whispers while licking his bottom lip.  
            “Babe… shut up, bite me, and fuck me hard,” I order as I weave a hand into his hair.  
            Robert’s eyes widen with surprise, shocked something dirty came out of my mouth for once. Now even more eager, Robert skips the prepping and shoves my legs apart. He squeezes at my nipples and, by request, finds the spot where my shoulder and neck meet to start attacking as he pushes inside of me without hesitation. My back arches at the initial feeling of it and I sigh out a quiet moan, enjoying the feeling of him being deep inside of me once again. I needed this. I needed him inside of me.  
            “Come on, Cody. Let the… forest animals… know whose making you feel good. Let me hear you,” Robert encourages as he quickens his pace.  
            When he grazes and sucks on the sensitive part of my neck, I moan loudly and clearly. I run my hands up and down his back and occasionally run across the little random scars that I have come to love. Robert suddenly grabs both of my hands in one hand and pins them above my head. This is new… and I kind of like it. Grunting and panting, Robert pounds into me harder and leaves kisses wherever his lips can reach.  
            I’m a moaning and a sweaty mess underneath him, drowning in arousal and euphoria. At the brink of Robert’s climax, he slows his pace down until he reaches it. When he does, he lowers his body down onto mine and wraps his arms around me the best he can. I take great satisfaction in hearing the moan he lets out because his orgasm moans are always the best. They’re hoarse and deep and they usually include some form of profanity.  
            After Robert takes care of his condom, he lies back down on his side and because he’s propped up on two pillows, he’s able to look down on me as I lie there in a post orgasm haze.  
            “So… First love making session as a married couple. How do you feel about?” Robert asks softly.  
            As an answer, I reach up and cup the side of his face gingerly. I bring our lips together once more and feel myself melt against him as he leans on me. Slowly, I drag his hand down my body to my cock that is waiting to be touched. Robert laughs darkly and draws away from my lips to give me an arousing look.  
            “Ready for round two, are we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news! I have started writing the alternative story where Cody wound up on Robert's bad route. BUT DO NOT WORRY! This is the story of how Cody and Robert find their way to a happy ending where they can be together. I want to get a few chapters ahead so I can post more frequently like I did with Something About Whiskey, so I expect this story to come in three weeks tops (Or less depending on free time). I'm considering a few titles for the story, but I will for sure let you all know when I pick one. :)
> 
> As always, I apologize for typos and grammar problems. I have been going through a lot of medical stuff in the past few days and because of that, sleep has been difficult to come by and so my beta reading may not be as good as usual. Though, fortunately, everything is going to be fine and I'm on the way back to get healthy. Only a few more days of medication!
> 
> After fighting with Archive for months now, I was finally able to turn off the Moderated Comments! For some reason, I would turn it off and it would instantly turn back on. It appears to be fixed so if you have something to say, don't be shy :) I appreciate all of the comments I get. I know the fandom is pretty much dead... There's only like four Tumblr accounts that I follow that are still active for DDADDS, but I hope you guys will continue to read my possibly shitty content (It honestly can't be that bad if I have dedicated readers, which I appreciate) that I'm putting out. I appreciate it so, so, so much. Thanks again. :)


	11. The Birthday he Wanted to Avoid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is Robert's birthday and even though he is against the idea of celebrating it, Cody manages to get him on board with the idea. However, little do they know, Cody's mother has some news about the baby that will leave the boys in an emotional state by the end of the day.

            Robert sleeps soundly on the bed with a pillow hugged close to his chest and the comforter pulled up to his waist. I’m still amazed that I managed to climb out of his death hold without waking him up. We were particularly tangled this morning.  I woke up to us facing each other with my leg hiked up to his hip and his arms firmly wrapped around me. It took a lot of skill and slow movements to get out of his hold and I nearly woke him up three separate times.  
            It was probably one of the most challenging things I have done in my life, but I made it out and replaced my body with the pillow that he now hugs. Because I’m on a slight time crunch, I was only able to finish half of my morning routine and now I have to sneak downstairs to get going on the birthday cake that I baked last night while he was sleeping. I warned him we would be celebrating his birthday while we’re here even though he has protested against it at every turn. It is my husband duty to make sure my significant other is happy and comfortable on his day.  
            In the kitchen, I pull the cake out from the oven and set it on the counter to be decorated. From the bag that Robert does not know I packed, I pull out two cans of chocolate frosting, a tube of white frosting, and a pack of candles. For his sake, I am not going overboard for his birthday. I simply want to give him a good day and help him learn that turning another year older is not the end of the world. He may be acting grumpy about it, but I know he appreciates what I’m trying to do for him.  
            I have at least an hour to do this. Robert could sleep all day if I let him, but he will wake up once his body realizes that I’m no longer in bed with him. We have become so used to sleeping in the same bed that it is almost difficult to sleep alone and Robert almost always wakes up when I’m not there in bed with him. I can only imagine how bad his sleep schedule was before I was able to help him with it.  
            Within thirty minutes of hard work, I get the cake frosted and decorated. I found out through Mary that he loves white cake with chocolate frosting, so that’s exactly what I made for him. And, not to brag, but it is probably the best damn cake I have ever made in my life. From upstairs, I can hear Robert tossing and turning, which is my cue to get my ass upstairs. Throwing away any garbage, I clean up the kitchen and race for the stairs and start climbing two at a time.  
            Robert is rubbing his eyes when I walk through the bedroom door. I scurry over to the bed and climb over him to get to my spot. Robert groans and drops his hands from his face to glare at me for the disturbance. He _seems_ well rested enough, which is more than I could hope for today. Getting him to go to bed without me last night took a lot of convincing and I half expected him to still be awake when I finally did get up here around midnight. He does not like going to bed without me and can’t say that I blame him. We both sleep better when we’re there together.  
            “How long have you been awake?” He asks groggily.  
            I glance at the clock and do the quick math in my head. “About two hours. It took me about a half hour to get out of your hold when I woke up.”  
            Robert frowns and rolls over to lie in between my legs with his head resting on my chest. I welcome him and pull the blanket over his mostly bare body to make sure he stays warm.  
            “You could have woken me,” He mumbles.  
            “I could have, but then you would have tried to stop me from doing what I was doing so I let you sleep,” I say with a smile on my face.  
            Robert props himself up on his elbows to look at me with a clearly perplexed expression on his sleepy face and even though he’s still waking up, me doing something he would disapprove of seems to be quite alarming to him. “What the hell were you up to?” He asks.  
            I provide a weak smile and prepare myself for more protesting. “Happy birthday, baby.”  
            It’s clear that Robert was unaware that it is his birthday today. I think he lost track of time with all of the stuff we’ve been doing together like watching movies and having sex. When the realization settles in, he groans loudly and crashes back down on my body.  
            “I thought I told you not to do anything about my birthday?” He asks grumpily.  
            “You did and I promise I didn’t do anything dramatic. I just made a cake, got you some gifts, and I’m leaving today’s agenda open so you can pick what we do.” I explain, hoping he’ll go along with it.  
            Robert is silent as he thinks over what I said. I want this day to be about him. I can guess what we’re going to end up doing with him in control, but I still want him to have the opportunity of choice. “Fine, but only because I love you.” Robert grumbles, making me smile. “Did you already take a shower?” He asks afterwards.  
            “No. I had to skip it because I needed to get the cake decorated before you woke up. Why?”  
            “Because we’re gonna go shower together,” He says bluntly.  
            Robert climbs off of me and stumbles his way to the bathroom in only his boxer briefs. I laugh and get out of the bed as well, taking my shirt off as I follow him. Robert tiredly brushes his teeth and while he does that, I turn the shower on for him… or us, I suppose. I forgot how much Robert likes for us to shower together. It must be an intimacy thing for him and, if I’m being honest, I never would have expected someone like him to enjoy something like this.  
            Shamelessly, I turn to Robert and slip my fingers under the waistband of his underwear and slowly pull them down. Robert is too preoccupied with brushing his teeth to care about what I’m doing, but he sure does notice when I laugh and step away from him.  
            “What are you laughing about?” He asks, setting his toothbrush down.  
            “You have a cute ass,” I admit with a grin.  
            Robert rolls his eyes and laughs. “You’re such a dork,” He mutters.  
            I kick off the rest of my clothes, throwing them into the pile of dirty clothes as I do, and open the door to the shower. “That may be so, but I know a cute ass when I see one and you defiantly have a cute ass.”  
            Robert and I get into the shower and close to the door behind us. He still seems tired even though I’m positive he slept at least nine hours in total. Curiously, I cup the side of his face and lift his head to look at me. “Did you not sleep very well?” I ask with a frown.  
           Robert shrugs and steps back under the water, pulling me along with him by my waist. “Not really. I had a hard time falling asleep in the first place and then I think I just slept lightly until I woke up again.”  
            Still frowning, I encase him in my arms and sigh deeply. “I was hoping you would be able to sleep. I should have come up with you last night.”  
            Robert stiffens and I can practically see his look of confusion. “Hey…” He says.  
            I pull back from him and look into the eyes I have fallen in love with time and time again. Robert was planning on saying something, but he has grown distracted by the way I’m looking at him. Since I almost died, things have been really hard on him. The end of November and most of December was the absolute worst of it and all I want to do is to remind him that I love him. Love is a healing factor for him and he needs to keep in mind that I both love him and I will always be there for him when he needs me. It was not my exact intention to make his birthday about _this_ , but it sure does seem to be working some sort of charm.  
           Slowly, Robert leans in to kiss me. As if it’s the first time he’s kissing me, my heart swells and hammers against my chest. This is where I belong… this is where _he_ belongs. At the start of it all, I thought it would be impossible to be able to do these things with him and especially to be able to do them as a married couple. Through all of the bad that we have experienced, I know things are going to be okay now. In just a few months, we’ll have a baby to look after and Val will be having one of her own. I look forward to all of it, to every single moment.  
            “You’re distracted,” Robert mumbles against my lips.  
            I can’t help but smile and bite down on his lower lip playfully, only to release it a second later. “I’m distracted because I’m thinking about how much I love you.”   
            Robert rolls his eyes and pulls me against him so he can bring his teeth to my place where my neck and shoulder meet. I gasp and dig my fingers into his back, feeling the sensation tingle at my nerves. “Can we put sex on the agenda for tonight? Because I’m trying really hard to not press you up against the wall so I can screw you into next week.” Robert asks almost innocently.  
            “I figured that would be on there. You’re very hypersexual, even more so recently because we’ve been on our honeymoon,” I say with a grin.  
            Robert frowns a little and searches my eyes. “You don’t mind do you?” He asks with a hint of fear in his voice. “I’ve defiantly done you enough lately and if you’re tired of it…” He trails off.  
             Bewilderment washes up on my face as I try to see what he’s implying. “Robert, what’s that about? I love the sex we have. I can keep up with you just fine; I have never had a problem with it. I would tell you if that’s the case.”  
            Robert runs a hand through his wet hair and engulfs me in his arms. “Sorry, Codes. I just feel bad about it sometimes. I feel like I’m the one who is always taking initiative. Maybe you should… I dunno… control things for tonight.”  
            “If that’s what you want, babe, then that’s what we’ll do,” I reassure him.  
            I’m not sure where the random fear came from or why he chose to address it now, but I’m glad he told me. And as we go about taking an actual shower instead of kissing under the water, I dwell a little longer on what he said.

            I shine the flashlight down at my feet, looking intently for any tree roots or rocks that could possibly trip me and make me fall down another ditch. Robert holds his own flashlight and shines it ahead of him like a normal person is supposed to. I’m not sure how he convinced me to do this with him again. He always seems to be able to win me over and get me to do this and I think it’s because I know how much he loves to do it. He often calls me the dork, but I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around. If I want to distract him, all I have to do is mention Mothman and suddenly he’s talking for the next three hours about how wrong I am for believing in him… even though I don’t. I just make it seem that way to piss him off.  
            I feel a little silly for being latched to Robert’s arm, but I feel that it’s a requirement now. We have been walking around for half an hour and I have heard one too many creepy noises for comfort. I can admit that I’m a scaredy cat; I have no shame in it. I’m doing this for my husband because I love him.  Who cares if we get mauled to death by a mountain lion? My husband clearly knows what he’s doing, right?  
            “Cody, I can feel the tension pouring off of you. It helps to breathe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I doubt anything will happen anyways,” Robert reminds me, nudging me with his arm.  
            “You never know. Bigfoot could come stomping towards us any minute. We’re in his territory now. We Oregonians love our Bigfoot. He’s big and fury and has… big feet,” I ramble anxiously.  
            Robert laughs and tightens the hold on my arm that I forced him to have. “I always forget you’re from here. Besides your godawful parents, was it fun living here? I have always loved Oregon.”  
            I recall some happy memories and feel a smile stretch on my face. “Yeah, I did. I met Alex here and we would always do stupid shit together. She consistently found a way to keep things entertaining and happy for me because she knew how much I hated it at home.”  
            “How did you two meet? I don’t remember you ever telling me.” Robert inquires with a soft smile on his lips.  
            Robert always likes to hear about Alex. I’m not sure why, but it always makes him smile when I talk about her and the things we did together before she passed away.  
            “I think we had a class together and I was always trying to fight the boys that gave her a hard time. I was the nerd and she was the pretty girl that every boy was drooling after. So naturally, I thought I could make my mark by punching the toughest guy in the building after he said something offensive to her,” I explain with happiness.  
            I lean more against Robert and hug his arm against my chest, intertwining our gloved fingers together. I can feel his wedding band though the glove and I smile when I do because it’s a subtle reminder that he’s mine forever now.  
            “How did you go from a girl like her to a guy like me, anyways? There are countless people that I have seen you with that would have been a much better fit than me.” Robert questions, tilting his head to the side slightly.  
            “I’m with a guy like you because you’re my type, Robert,” I remind him for what must be the billionth time.  
            Robert steps over a long that cuts off our path and he helps me over it even though I can get over it just fine. We’re pretty deep in the woods now and I’m certain no person in their right mind would willingly do this in the dark with nothing more than a few knives and some food with them.  
            “I’m your type, huh? I wasn’t aware you had a type,” Robert muses as he ducks under a low hanging tree branch.  
            I’m starting to wonder why Robert is asking so many questions. “The fact that I married you didn’t give that away? I like somebody who is adventurous, who isn’t afraid to do things that other people would be. I like somebody who is smart because intelligence is sexy. I like somebody who acts like they’re all tough on the outside and is actually very soft on the inside. I can also appreciate certain body types and you have one of my favorites. I could go on and on about this, Robert.”  
            Just as Robert is about to ask another question, a howl rips through the night and we both fall completely silent and still. That howl was not too far from where we stand and I am convinced this is where we die.

            I fall back on the bed with a thud and groan loudly as I kick my boots off. My entire body is numb despite the layers I put on before we left and I’m pretty sure the only thing that’s going to fix this is a billion blankets and some good old fashioned body heat. Robert wanders in through the bedroom door after hearing my groan and looks at me with an amused smile on his face.  
            “You’re going to call me a sap, but you look really cute right now,” He comments confidently.  
            I prop myself up on my elbows and raise an eyebrow. “How so?”  
           Robert sheds his winter jacket and throws it onto his suitcase as he walks over to me. “Because your cheeks and lips are all red and your hair is a mess. It’s a good look on you.”  
            I reluctantly sit up and peel off my layers one by one until I’m left with the long sleeved shirt I started with in the beginning. Robert takes my small stack of jackets and sweaters and he moves them to my suitcase to be put away later. My eyes find their way to his ass as he bends down and I blush when he catches me staring at him.  
            “Do you want to do the candles thing again?” I ask mindlessly as I force myself to stand up.  
            Robert glances at the candles that we left around the bedroom in case we wanted to use them again. “Sure, why not. They’re there so we might as well use them and Mary wasn’t completely wrong about them,” He says as he digs his lighter out from the pocket of his jeans.  
            While he lights the candles, I walk aimlessly into the bathroom. I pull my shirt up and over my head and toss it into the pile of clothes we have growing in here. I’m going to have a lot of fun doing the laundry when we get back home. Laughing the thought away, I glance at my reflection in the mirror. Robert was not lying when he said my cheeks and lips are red from the cold and I suppose I can see why he finds it attractive.  
            After swishing some mouth wash, I come back into the bedroom to find Robert sitting on the edge of the bed with a goofy expression on his face. I look down on myself and then back up at him, trying to figure out why he’s looking at me like the way he is.  
            “While I hate how you got those scars, they do give you a certain sex appeal that I’m very turned on by right now,” He finally admits.  
            I glance down at my jagged twin scars near my hip and trace them with my fingertips. What a time that was. “Unfortunately, you will have to keep it in your pants for a few more minutes because I want to give you your gift before we do anything,” I say as I pull a birthday gift bag from the closet.  
            Robert willingly accepts the gift even though he hates the entire idea of celebrating his birthday. I did keep my word, however. I kept everything on the down low and made sure he kept his sanity. Robert, becoming intrigued, slowly pulls each little gift out one by one and examines them thoroughly. I had no idea what the get him, so I got him a bunch of little things that I know he would love. He is now the proud owner of a hundred dollar gift card to the Maple Bay Cinema, a new knife set because he _clearly_ needs more knives, a bottle of white zinfandel, a replacement stack of movies that Max destroyed when she was still a puppy, and fifty dollar gift card to the Coffee Spoon.  
            “Thanks, kid,” Robert says with a warm smile, “you know me better than anyone does. I’m defiantly going to use the Coffee Spoon gift card as an excuse to come see you at work.”  
            With my help, Robert puts everything back into the gift bag and sets it beside the night stand. Now, things can get started. Warmly, I straddle Robert’s lap and tilt his head up to look at me. He shaved this morning so his facial hair is back down to a dark stubble and he obviously touched up on things like deodorant and cologne while I was in the bathroom because his scent is intoxicating me more than it was earlier today.  
            “It’s your birthday and I want this to be about you. What do you want?” I ask him as I brush our lips together.  
            “Don’t worry about what I want. We’ll make it up as we go. I’m fine with whatever as long as you’re naked and are being taken care of.” He replies with a grin.  
            Rolling my eyes, I bring our lips together and start kissing him with a fever I have not felt for a long time. I’m eager and hungry for him and I want him to know what he does to me. My teeth find their way to his neck and I latch onto him to leave behind a love bite. Robert loves to be marked and it’s no secret that he loves to mark me up as well. It’s a territorial thing for him.  
            I can feel how hard Robert is against my thigh and it brings a smile to my face. Without looking, I unlatch his belt and climb off of him to give him room to take off his jeans. At the same time, I ditch my own and I mentally thank myself for remembering to wear a new pair of briefs. Like Robert, I have grown hard myself and it’s all because of how attracted I am to him. He’s great looking and knows what he’s doing in bed, which make a great combination when they’re put together. I grab Robert’s hand and rest it over my dick, making sure he can feel just how aroused I am. “Do you see what you do to me? Do you feel it?” I ask against his lips, rolling my hips forward to press deeply into his palm.  
            Robert sighs softly and caresses my lower back where it stars to curve into my backside. We kiss each other slowly and unevenly, creating a wet mess. “Take off your briefs and lie down on the bed,” I request in a quiet voice.  
            Obeying, Robert moves to lie down on the bed with his head on the pillow while shrugging out of his briefs. I grab the lube and condoms from the nightstand and climb on top of him to straddle his upper thighs once more. He wants to be touched; I can see it in his eyes. He’s silently begging for me to touch him and I, wanting to drag this out, lean down to press a soft kiss in between his hips. I trail the kisses up to his navel and move to his ribs, where I know he’s ticklish. Robert digs his fingers into my thighs and I look up at him with a wicked grin on my face.  
            Robert grasps at my hips and with one movement, rolls over so he now towers above me. This is where he takes control. There’s a hunger in his eyes that I’m familiar with seeing in times where he _really_ wants to make love. Very slowly, he pulls my briefs down and throws them off the edge of the bed.  
            “Tell me what you want, baby,” Robert says as he lightly starts to roll his hips in a way where I begin to get friction where I want it the most.  
            I gasp and latch my hands onto his hips, slowly moving along with him. This is his favorite thing to do in the bedroom; he loves to watch me become undone and a mess underneath him. “Do you want me to suck you off?” He asks as he grasps my dick and starts to pump it slowly.  
            I nod eagerly and start to pant as my orgasm begins to build deep within me.  
            “Let me hear you say it,” Robert says with a grin.  
            “Please, Robert… Suck me. Put your mouth on me and suck me off.” I beg breathlessly.  
            With a triumphant gleam in his eyes, Robert slides down my body with a trail of wet and sloppy kisses, creating a map to his destination. At my thighs, he spreads my legs apart and chooses my left thigh to be his victim. His lips brush against the sensitive skin and when he’s ready for it, he latches on and starts to graze and suck until there’s a sizable hickey left as evidence of him being down where nobody else can go. I’m losing my mind. He’s moving purposefully slow to taunt and tease me.  
            “Fuck, Robert… _please_.”  
            My husband looks up at me to see the mess that I have become. I want his lips around me, I want to be in his mouth… “You’re so attractive when you’re like this because of me,” He comments with an award winning smile.  
            Grabbing the base of my dick, Robert finally puts my tip into his mouth and swirls his tongue around and around to get me worked up. I grasp the headboard behind me for something to hold onto and sigh out a moan as Robert plunges deeper. All while he’s sucking and licking, he’s also pumping me with his hand and that alone is enough to make my senses and pleasures go through the roof.  
            I subconsciously start to thrust upwards and Robert, with his available hand, has to firmly grasp onto my hip to keep me still. I’m sweating and I’m moaning and it all comes to a peak when Robert hums, which creates a unique vibration I have not fell before or at the very least, I have not felt it for a long time. Moaning and cursing, I climax and release the headboard as my hands begin to throb. Robert pulls away and he gives a minute to catch my breath before moving to hover above me.  
            “Did that make you feel good?” He asks with a knowing grin.  
            I nod my head and provide a tired smile. “Hell yeah, baby.”  
            Robert laughs and grabs the bottle of lube from beside me. “I’m going to fuck you hard, Cody. You’re going to be sore tomorrow as a reminder of who was down there making you feel good.”  
            My cheeks heat up and my heart flutters with sexual desire. I watch Robert as he rolls the condom onto himself and I find myself biting my lower lip, which is usually one of his turn-ons. He nudges for my legs to move and so I spread and bend them to keep them out of the way. Robert lubes himself up for my sake and very carefully, he presses his tip inside of me. He then hooks my right leg over his shoulder and grasps at my hips to keep his balance. I groan and breathe through the sensations, trying hard to keep myself composed. When Robert bottoms out, he moves to hover above me and captures my lips.  
            Without much warning, he starts to rock his hips back and forth. I ding my fingers into his back and swear loudly as he pulls himself completely out and rams back inside. The bed is creaking, we’re both sweating, and he is fucking me _hard_. Every time he strikes my prostate, I feel myself becoming undone and a complete blubbering mess underneath him. He knows my body like the back of his hand now and he knows exactly what to do to get me going again. I'm screaming on the inside with triumph and pleasure. We're both an equal mess and if I can watch him be like this all day, I would. He's _fucking_ sexy.  
            Robert collapses onto me when he hits his orgasm. I clutch his back and hold him close to me, melting against his warmth. We lie still and breathe for a while, allowing our bodies to catch up with our minds. I lazily kiss his shoulder and neck to shower him with affection and I mindlessly start to draw lazy patterns on his back. I could get used to this.  
            “If we get to do this on my birthday, feel free to celebrate it every day of the week,” Robert says with a laugh.  
            “Robert, baby, you can get sex whenever you want it. My body is yours and vice versa,” I mumble with a proud grin on my face.  
            When it’s time for cleanup, Robert and I walk hand in hand to the bathroom. I keep my eyes on him the entire time, trapped in a cliché bubble of love. I toss him a new pair of briefs and pull one of my own out to put on. I crawl onto the bed and flop on my back, expelling air from my lungs. I think that was probably the highlight of my day, that and how excited Robert got over his cake.  
            “Babe, get into bed with me,” I say to Robert tiredly.  
            Robert laughs low and climbs into bed with me. Everything is peaceful until my phone lights up with a notification. Robert grabs my buzzing phone from the nightstand and we both groan when we see that it’s a text message from my mother. Reluctantly, he opens the message and reads it twice over before letting me see what she said.

> **From Julia:**   
>  **Hopefully I’m not disturbing anything of importance,**   
>  **but I would like for you boys to know that Olivia had her**   
>  **ultrasound today to find out the gender of the baby.**   
>  **Congratulations, Cody and Robert. Around May fifth,**   
>  **you will be bringing home a baby girl. By then, I will have the adoption**   
>  **papers sorted and sent in. I’ll call you when you return home.**   
>  **Enjoy the rest of your honeymoon.**

            Robert and I are silent as we read the message over and over again. I spaced that Olivia is about five months now and we only have four more months to go before we have a little baby to look after.  
            “We’re going to have a baby girl,” Robert says in a quiet voice of shock.  
            He is already looking at me when I look over at him and for the first time in a long time, I see Robert’s eyes well up with happy tears. Laughing, I take my phone from his hand and toss it aside for now. I then pull him onto me and start kissing him mercilessly. Now, it feels real. I had already accepted the fact that we are going to be adopting, but now knowing the gender brings on a different form of excitement that I recall feeling when Alex and I found out Amanda’s gender.  
            “We’ll start building the nursery when we get home. She’s almost ours, Robert,” I say with a smile frozen on my face.  
            “Holy shit… I’m going to be a dad again _and_ a grandpa,” He mumbles in shock.  
            I cup both sides of his face and wipe away the wetness from his tears. “And we’re going to do it together. We will be the best dads and the best grandparents ever,” I reassure him.  
            For the rest of the long night, Robert and I talk about baby names for our daughter and random design ideas for the guest bedroom that will turn into her nursery. We talk for hours and hours until eventually, we fall asleep in each other’s arms. Though, throughout the entire conversation, I found myself unable to look away from my husband who is changing his entire life to make sure he can be the father our daughter will need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BUT HOW DID ROBERT AND CODY ESCAPE THE MONSTER?
> 
> *Kicks down your front door*  
> THE ALTERNATIVE STORY IS POSTED!  
> 'The Choices That lead me Here' is the story in which Cody wound up on Robert's bad route and how they find their way to a loving and happy relationship. Please go check it out if you are interested and bookmark it so you can be updated on when I upload. I am having a TON of fun writing it and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. For some reason, the chapters are turning out a lot longer than I thought they would for that story, so I honestly have no idea how many chapters it will be.  
> *Picks up your front door and leaves with it*  
> QUESTION: Where are you guys from?! I'm from Portland, Oregon (USA) as some of you can tell through my Dadsona (Cody). I have been very interested to see where some of you guys live because most of my comments come in very late at night or early in the morning for me. (Or in the middle of the day on rare occasion)


	12. If and When we Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the mess of getting things ready for the baby, Cody hits an emotional wall and Robert does what he can to make it a little easier for him.

_Spring_

            “Holy shit.”  
            The words left my mouth long before I could think about stopping them. In the middle of the living room, beside Brian and Robert, is the baby crib they have been working on for the past month and a half. I stare at it in astonishment with my jaw hanging slightly open. Painted a crisp white, the crib stands idle in front of me with beautiful handmade carvings in the wood. I run my fingertips over the carving and gawk at Robert. This is well beyond anything I imagined for our daughter. When Robert told me he was going to collaborate with Brian to make a crib, I thought it would be something basic and sturdy, not something on this level of craftsmanship. Never once was I shown the plans for it because Robert insisted on keeping it a secret until it the finished product was ready. Now that it is, I am shocked and amazed by it.  
            “This crib is very special. Beneath the bed is a shelf to store items and the sides are all stationary for safety purposes. However, we designed this bed to grow with her and when it comes time for that, the two middle sides can be removed and the bed can be extended after the latches on the bottom of the frame are released. This bed should last her until she’s at least ten,” Brian explains with a confident smile.  
            Finding myself to be completely and utterly speechless, I glance down at the crib again and try to wrap my head around it. This is for the baby. This is not some sample bed I’m passing by at the furniture store because it costs too much. This is my soon-to-be daughter’s actual bed.  
            “This is amazing, guys. I’m shocked to say the least. This will work perfectly in the nursery,” I say with a warm smile.  
            Robert bashfully glances down at the ground and shifts his weight between hips. It’s nice to see him like this, to see him flattered by the compliment instead of rejecting it.  
            “Robert did all of the carvings on the wood himself. He was very firm on what he wanted to do, so I let him have at it. Doing the carvings added a special factor to this bed. Even I am shocked,” Brian adds on as he claps Robert on the shoulder proudly.  
            I walk around the crib and slip my arm around Robert’s waist. “Thank you, Brian. This means so much to me and to Robert that you were willing to help out. I'm glad she'll have this instead of something we picked up at the store.”  
            Brian nods and with a short exchange of goodbyes, he leaves the house and closes the front door behind him. I turn my gaze up to Robert and smile wide, tightening my hold on his waist. I never thought it was possible, but I think I just fell even more in love with him.  
            “She’ll be here in a month, baby. I love the bed and your carvings. Want to help me get it upstairs? I want to see how it looks in the nursery.” I ask in between loving kisses that I leave on his lips.  
            Robert nods and we pull apart to grab either end of the bed. Carefully, we walk it over to the stairs and because I trust Robert to be able to bear most of the weight, I walk up the steps first and do it backwards. We take the steps one by one until we get to the second floor to eliminate dropping the crib. Getting it through the door of the nursery is a bit challenging, but through slow steps the occasional dropped F-bomb, we manage to fit it through and get it placed in the designated area beside the closet. We step back to examine how it looks in here and, just like I thought it would, the crib looks absolutely perfect. I slip my hand into Robert’s and lean against him with a half-smile on my face. Our daughter will fit in nicely in this room.  
            We have spent the past two months getting this room cleaned out and ready to go for the baby. Most of the furniture is in here already and has been for a while. I spent two weeks alone painting on the walls and another week talking to Amanda and Val about what I should do decoration wise for a baby who will grow up in this room. Robert handled all of the furniture and took it upon himself to stalk us up on baby items like diapers and clothing. It was a little shocking when he came home one day with bags full of clothes in various sizes and enough diapers to last us the first few months of taking care of her.  
            I have been extremely proud of Robert lately, even more so than I normally am. Since we got back from the honeymoon, he has done everything he in his power to make sure he’s personally ready for our daughter when she gets here. His drinking has pretty much stopped with the exception of having a glass of wine every now and then and he started eating miraculously healthier. He moved all dangerous items to places where the baby cannot get to them and he stored most of his knifes in a box in the closet where he can still get to them when he wants them. I’m amazed, but I always knew he could make the necessary changes to be a father again. He’s going to be amazing.    
            “I have to go out to my storage unit to dig around for some stuff. Do you want to come?” I ask Robert once we’re back downstairs.  
            Robert suddenly presses me up against the wall and starts kissing me as if a frenzy took over him. I sigh into the kiss and tangle my fingers into his hair, allowing myself to be held against him. He grinds against me and bites down on my bottom lip while he presses his thigh against me in a way that makes me moan.  
            “I… really do… have to… go to the… storage unit…” I struggle out against his soft lips that crash against mine.  
            “I know… I’m just trying to squeeze in as much of this in before Amy gets here. We won’t be able to do this with the little one around,” Robert says as he draws back just enough to talk clearly.  
            I tilt my head to the side slightly as a smile twitches on my lips. “You finally decided on a name for her?” I ask.  
            Robert thinks over what he said, clearly not realizing that he called our daughter by a name. Then, with a soft smile, he nods. Overjoyed, I throw my arms around him and hug him as close to me as I can. He and I both laugh loudly and exchange blissful sloppy kisses in the mess of it all. We have been messing around with names since December and it was not until now that we finally picked one. After we chose our absolute favorites, I left the final decision up to Robert. For four months, he has chewed on the names and tried them all out in various situations to see which one sounded the best. As it turns out, it was Amy that prevailed and it will be what goes on her birth certificate when she comes into the world.  
            Once things calm down, Robert and I go out to my car and get going. Today is the last opportunity to get to my storage before my life gets busy again. To put some extra cash in the bank, I’m picking up extra shifts at work and babysitting Craig’s kids while he runs errands and gets work done. Not only that, but I’m helping Mary get ready for the baby shower she insists Robert and I need to have. Everybody was quite shocked when we shared the news of the adoption. Craig knew about it already thanks to my mother, but he still shared the same enthusiasm as everyone else. Out of everyone, Mary was the most shocked and I believe she is the most excited. She claims that she’s going to be the best aunt ever. Robert and I both agreed to let Mary be the ‘aunt’ she wants to be as long as she gives us the first few months to get settled and set into a schedule before she starts invading. Bringing a baby home is going to be a big challenge for the two of us.  
            Julia and Olivia are staying in a hotel just outside of Maple Bay. Because Olivia is so far along, they decided to drive here and will be staying until the baby is born. I thought they were crazy for doing such a thing, but my mother insisted that it makes things easier on the baby. For once, I had to agree with her. At least this way, Robert and I can go pick up Amy and bring her immediately home instead of having to wait for an unknown amount of time for Amy to be travel ready and safe. All of the adoption stuff has been handled and legally, once Amy is born, she is ours. I had my lawyer go over all of the paper work and kinks to make sues my mother is not planning anything. Although she is 'trying' to be the mother she never was to me, I still refuse to trust her. Thankfully, the paperwork is all handled and the only thing to do is wait for Amy to be born.   
            My mind has been stuck in kids mode ever since we arrived back home. If I’m not thinking about Amy, I’m thinking about Amanda, and if I’m not thinking about Amanda, I’m thinking about Val and her soon-to-be-here baby. I pretty much feel like I did when Alex was about to have Amanda. I spent the last month of her pregnancy running around trying to make sure we were ready for Amanda and I hardly stopped to give myself a break. This time, I’m falling into the same patterns. Even Robert is managing himself better than I am. I would like nothing more than to take a break and I have a creeping suspicion that tonight is my last night to do that, assuming I can catch the chance. The ability to take a break has been increasingly hard to come by.  
            “So what are we going to be hunting in this storage unit of yours?” Robert asks with a small exhale of boredom.  
            I laugh quietly and shoot a glace his way. “You make it sound like we’re hunting a wild animal. It’s just a storage unit that I used to put all of my extra stuff into when I moved.”  
            “And when was the last time you opened that thing up? Something could have snuck in there and started breeding for all you know.” Robert justifies.  
            “Okay, well assuming there are no rabid animals in my storage unit, I want to track down some of the old baby things that Alex’s mother gave us when Amanda was born. I packed it all away carefully in case I ever had another baby,” I explain in a reminiscent voice.  
            Robert nods and glances out the window as rain starts to pour from the sky. I pull up to the gate at the storage place and type the code into the keypad. The gate crawls open and I drive through it, driving until I find my unit at the end of the third row. Making a mad dash for the door, I unlock the padlock and push the door up until it can’t go any higher. There are several boxes on the inside and various pieces of furniture that Amanda and I stuffed in here when we moved. I have not been in here for a while. If I remember correctly, the last time I was here was to find a box full of my old taxes.  
            “See? No rabid or wild animals. Just boxes, furniture, and dust,” I comment, playfully bumping my husband with my hip.  
            “Damn it. I brought my knife for nothing,” He grumbles as he flicks the light switch on.  
            “You know, three years ago I would have thought you were kidding,” I deadpan as I lift a heavy box and move it elsewhere.  
            Robert pushes an old coffee table aside to get to the bigger stack of boxes behind it. “And in those three years, I have taught you the ways of my humor,” he mutters, “is this box going to be labeled in any specific way? Or are we going to have to open all of them to find what we’re looking for?”  
            “It should be labeled with Alex’s name and something along the lines of baby stuff,” I say as I brush my fingers over a label on a box.  
 _Old Photos._ I pick up the box and move to sit on the coffee table Robert pushed just seconds before. Unsure of what I’m going to find, I pull the box cutter from my hoodie pocket and slice the tape open. Robert keeps digging around as I open the folds to the box and find a bunch of old photo albums I thought I lost during the move. I pull the first one out and set the box off to the side. This is one of the albums I kept from the time I was fifteen to about mid college.  
            The photos in here are ancient, ancient in the sense that most of them are more than a decade old. The very first photo is of my brother and me. I stare at it for a long time and hardly notice when Robert sits down beside me.  He lightly throws his arm over my shoulders and examines the picture I’m looking at. It settles in on him that I’m looking at my brother, my one and only brother that died before I could fix our relationship. I swore to fix it one day, I swore to pick up the phone and call him to make it better… and I let time go by until it ran out.  
            I had not noticed the tears welling up in my eyes until they started to roll down my cheeks. I never grieved his death properly. Between getting shot and trying to keep Robert on his feet, I buried the entire idea of it. I only gave myself the time to accept his death and to get over the initial shock of it. I wish I had gone to see his grave while we were in Oregon… and Alex, too. When Amy can handle it, I’m going to see if I can plan another trip. I need to see their graves.  
            “When was the last time you took a break, kid?” Robert asks quietly, openly concerned for my wellbeing as he wipes my tears away.  
            I close the photo album and lean against him. I rest my forehead on his shoulder and squeeze my eyes shut, breathing in deeply to calm myself. I did what I always do. I put my stress aside and focused on everyone else but myself until it got to be too much. This is classic Cody… “I think our honeymoon was the last break I had. Things have been busy ever since we got back,” I mumble softly.  
            Robert gently rubs my back and leaves light kisses wherever he can reach. I’m so used to giving comfort that it’s almost foreign to receive it and to receive it from somebody who is generally so awkward when it comes to emotions. I lean into it, though. To feel his comforting hands and soft kisses reminds me that while I feel like crap right now, I have someone who cares about me and loves me enough to help me through it.  
            “I found the box you were looking for. Let’s take it and get back home… and when we get home, we’re going to drink the last two bottles of white zinfandel that we have and we’re going to watch a movie together on the couch like the gross married couple we are.” Robert says sternly as he lifts my head to look me in the eye.  
            I nod and get to my feet. Robert grabs the box that we need and as we leave, I make sure to lock up behind us. Because he’s silently asking me for it by sticking out his hand, I pass my car keys to Robert and climb into the car on the passenger side. I spend so much of my time trying to take care of my husband and now it’s time for my husband to take care of me. Sighing, I lean my head against the headrest and close my eyes for a short few moments to recollect my thoughts.  
            I listen to the rain and focus on the sounds of the turning signal and Robert’s breathing. Eventually, I find myself in a calmer state; a state that enables me to function like a decent human being. I open my eyes and glance over at the man beside me. I slide my hand up and down his thigh at a measured pace, feeling the fabric of his jeans underneath my fingers. It’s a little dumb, but I love his jeans. I always find myself admiring small things about Robert. I love the way he cuddles at night, I love the way he mumbles his way around the kitchen in the mornings, and I love the way he rambles on and on about the art of cinema. If I had the time, I could probably write an entire novel about why I love him.  
            Tiredly, I stumble into our house and kick my shoes off. I run upstairs briefly to change into a pair of sweatpants for the sake of my own comfort. When I come back down, I grab the box of old baby stuff off of the coffee table and lift the lid off. Inside, there is a beautiful baby mobile made up of stars that glisten in the light. Underneath it are several other little items for decoration purposes. I examine each item before putting the box back on the table. I’m glad everything in that box survived the years of being packed away. I was only really after the mobile. I have never seen anything like it and I suppose that makes it special. While she will be an infant, I hope Amy enjoys the mobile as much as Amanda did when she was little.  
            Robert comes into the living room from the kitchen with two bottles of wine and two glasses in his hands. He sets them on the table and goes off to the TV to get a movie going. I do not care what he puts in. All I care about is relaxing and having a good night with Robert before things start to get crazy. It’s difficult to imagine that in just a few weeks, Robert and I will be bringing home a baby. Amanda will be flying in to come see her and in just a month after Amy’s birth, Val will be giving birth to her son.  
            With the movie going in the background, Robert comes to the couch and we position ourselves accordingly. I rest in between his legs and lean against his chest while he pours our glasses of wine and kisses me occasionally. After a while, the movie blurs and I find myself in a state of complete relaxation. The wine certainly helps and the way Robert plays with my hair pulls me deeper into relaxation. Sitting like this reminds me of the times before we were living together and before we decided to get married. Specifically, it reminds me of the first time we sat like this and how surprised I was that Robert went along with it.  
            Feeling at peace, I twist around and plant my lips on his. He tastes like wine and although he’s hardly kissing me back because he’s focused on the movie, I’m content. This is our last night of sanity. I’m sure Robert will find a way to squeeze in some drunken sex before we go to bed and I’m sure we’ll go at it for a few hours before ultimately decided to crash for the night. I’m also sure that no matter what we do, I’ll be doing it with a lighter head. The stress I felt earlier is evaporated and while I know that it still needs addressed, I have this night to enjoy myself.  
            “Hey, Robert?” I say quietly.  
            He glances down at me and waits for me to speak. I’m not sure where the overwhelming feelings of love come from, but I feel compelled to share how I feel with him.  
            “I love you,” I say simply with a smile.  
            Robert laughs and kisses me slowly, savoring the way it feels to be close and connected. “Yeah, I love you too.”  
            I nestle against him and breathe in the scent that I fell in love with. I can no longer smell the whiskey or cigarette smoke on him like I was once able to, but the underlying smell that comes from his body wash and everything else has always been present. It was _that_ smell that made me feel as if I was dizzy, it was that smell that made me so easy to bend when Robert was finally starting our romantic relationship, and it was that smell that always made it impossible to stay mad at him after an argument. It’s dumb and it may be a little silly, but I have always loved him for this one thing and I’m happy beyond what words can express that I got to love him for many other things. His laugh, his smile, his grumpiness, his little quirks...    
           “I love you so much…” I mumble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to change in the next chapter. Just... Just so you know.


	13. Amy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited day is here. After a long day at work, Cody's mother bursts through the Coffee Spoon doors to announce that Olivia has gone into labor.

            With my head resting on the table, I slam my pencil down and squeeze my eyes shut. I’m currently on break and on a random whim, I decided to draw. Sadly, I have not had the time to do this lately. With my life being as busy as it is, I realized that the things I loved to do were slipping away from me. Robert still encourages me to play guitar for him every now and then, but the last time I did that was a little over a month and a half ago. It makes me sad. Therefore, in a desperate attempt to reconnect with myself, I grabbed my pencils and sketch pad before leaving for work this morning.   
            For every break I have had today, I spent it drawing. I tried creating various things such as Robert and my daughter and they satisfied me enough, but I still felt that I was lacking creatively. So, to push myself even further, I decided to draw my brother. As I was bringing him to life on the paper, I felt oddly connected to him. I still remember what he looks like perfectly and even though it has been years since I last saw his face, he’s still fresh in my mind. I sketched him out several times making various faces and doing various things.  
            Though, the last drawing I managed to do was the one that hit me the most. It’s of him and me and what I imagined we would be doing if he was still around and we were still talking. To an onlooker, the drawing is nothing special, but it holds a special place in my heart. I’ll go over it again to correct my mistakes and if I ever get brave enough to do it, I may decide to frame and hang it somewhere in the house.  
            Deciding to adopt Amy will give me a piece of Tyler to look after. Even though he’s long gone, I will have his daughter to raise as my own. Amy will grow up believing that I am her father, as well as Robert, but I will not let her go through life without knowing who her true father is. It would be the equivalent to spitting on Tyler’s grave to not let his daughter know about him. She will know, but only when she is old enough to understand who he is and why he’s not around.  
            Sighing, I close my sketch book and lift my head off the little round table. Mat comes out from the back with a platter of fresh muffins and pastries. I watch as he loads the display case up and lean against my chair tiredly. I did not sleep that well last night. Robert was up late putting the last of the furniture together in the nursery while I was going through the last of our finances. It kept me up most of the night and I was only able to fall asleep when Robert came in to take a break from building.  
            I woke up this morning feeling drained. If I ever get home tonight, I will take some serious time to recharge my batteries. Amy is due any day now and there’s nothing to be done but wait. Just last week, Mary threw Robert and I a baby shower. Our neighbors all gathered at Mary’s house where we all played ridiculous games that included changing the diapers of fake babies and eating mystery baby food. It was all going very well until I tripped and wound up spilling baby food all over Robert.  
            I think my fondest memory from the party is seeing how happy Robert was. He was not only excited to get into all of the games, but he was simply, genuinely, happy. When Robert is happy, he smiles and laughs and dotes all over me like the sappy husband he can be. It can be a little ridiculous at times because he’s either touching me in some way or giving me loving kisses, but I will never, never in a million years, tell him not to be happy.  
            When we got home that night, we were tired and we probably should have slept, but we ended up taking a shower together and anyone could guess where that eventually led to. After what some would call ‘sinful activities’, we laid in bed for hours thinking and talking about our future. Robert and I will be towards the older ages by the time Amy is eighteen and we decided that once she’s off on her own, we’re going to travel. There will be no real reason to stay at home all of the time, so why shouldn’t we go out and explore while we still have time?  
            Suddenly, the door to the shop bursts open and my mother rushes through it with an expression of excitement on her face. “Cody! It would help a ton if you could answer my calls once in a while. I had to drive to your house to find out where you are,” She exclaims disapprovingly.  
            I pull my phone out from my back pocket and realize that it has been put on mute and has been on mute for a while. There are three missed calls from my mother and four unread texts from Robert, all of which tell me to answer my mother’s calls. “Oh, sorry… I had it on mute. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”  
            Julia puts her hands on her hips and sighs. “It’s time to go, Cody. Olivia is in labor. Your husband is waiting outside with the Jeep.”  
            Shocked, I glance at Mat for approval to leave. “What the hell are you looking at me for? Go get your baby, man,” He says with a grin.  
            Without another word, I grab my sketch book and flee the shop. Like Julia said, Robert is waiting anxiously right out front and I have to wait for a car to pass by before jumping into the passenger seat. Robert does not wait for me to buckle my seat belt before pulling out onto the road to get going. The hospital Olivia is at is not the local one and to get there, it’s nearly a fifty minute drive. I’m not sure why Julia insisted on picking a hospital so far out when Robert and I are the ones who are going to have to make the drive back with a newborn, but it does not matter now. All that matters is getting to the hospital and seeing Amy when she’s born.  
            “Sorry, my phone was on mute. I didn’t realize you guys were trying to get my attention,” I apologize as I pull my apron off and toss it into the back.  
            “Don’t worry about it. Julia said Olivia was literally just admitted so we have some time,” Robert says, waving off my attempted apology.  
            “It is bad that I’m nervous? I mean, I’m excited… but I’m really nervous about all of this,” I ask with a weak smile on my face.  
            Robert glances over at me and starts smiling too. “I think I have you beat in the nervous department, but no… It’s not bad. We’ll have our daughter at some point today or tomorrow and then, soon after, we’ll have our granddaughter. Val is due next month.”  
            It’s crazy to think that I’m going to be a grandfather and that, admittedly, makes me feel like I’m ancient. And in terms of age, Amy is going to be a very young aunt to Val and Jesse’s son. It’s all a little weird to think about. Family gets confusing when adopting within the family. Though, I would never take back the decision to adopt Amy. Now that Robert, for the most part, has gotten over his initial fears of becoming a father again, he has not shut up about all the things he wants to do with Amy once we have her. It’s nice.  
            “Well, alright. Are you ready to be exhausted all of the time, then? Last night was pretty much our last opportunity to sleep and we blew it.” I question with a raised eyebrow.  
            Robert shrugs and laughs a little. “When am I not exhausted? I handled it pretty well with Val, so I think I can do it again. The only thing I’m not ready for is the lack of sex and time together spent not sleeping or eating.”  
            I roll my eyes and turn to look at him. “You say that as if we’re never going to have sex again or have the time to be normal. I promise you, we will find the time to be intimate with each other. Just because we’ll have a baby does not mean we can’t be normal spouses.”  
            “We’ll have our hands tied with the baby. When are we going to find time to be with each other? We’re going to be spending all of our free time changing diapers and taking Amy to her pediatric baby appointments,” He argues with an over exaggerated tone.  
            “Okay… Let’s do this, then. After a few months, if we seriously are lacking in the happy couple department, we’ll find a baby sitter, probably Mary, and take a few days to reconnect and have fun.” I offer as I reach over and claim my usual place on his upper thigh.  
            Robert, caving into his needs and wants, eagerly agrees. I laugh and watch the passing cars as we drive by them. Knowing that Amanda will want to know, I pull out my phone and send an informing text to Amanda. Every day for the past two weeks, she has been sending me message after message asking me if Olivia has gone into labor yet. Now that it’s finally happening, I think she would love to know.

>   **To Amanda** **:  
> ** **We’re on our way to the hospital. Olivia is in  
> ** **labor. It’s still a little early in the progression, we  
> ** **won’t know when she’ll give birth yet. But, your  
> ** **little sister is on her way… or cousin? Sister?  
>  Whatever you want to call her. Amy. Amy is   
> ****coming.**
> 
> **From Amanda** **:**  
>  You adopted her so she’s legally my sister now.  
>  OMG! YAY! I’m so excited, pops. Let me know  
>  everything! 
> 
>   **To Amanda** **:  
>  I will. Just hang tight and I’ll send you a picture  
> ** **of her as soon as I can.** **  
>   
> ****From Amanda** **:  
>  You better. I’ll stay in the dorm today so   
> ****there’s no chance of me missing baby updates.**
> 
> ** To Amanda ** **:  
> ** **Alright, anti-social. I’ll text you when I know  
> ** **something more. Hang tight.**

  


            When we arrived to the hospital, things were as happy and exciting as they could be. Julia led us to Olivia’s room and when there, Robert and I took up camp in the waiting chairs just outside her door. We waited patiently for any news and to keep us distracted, we talked. We talked about all sorts of things like diaper changing turns and who is going to hold her first. I was happy, Robert was happy… that was until things started to go wrong.  
            On hour three, the staff determined that Olivia is not progressing as she should. They told us not to worry about it right then because this is her first birth and there is always at least one little kink that occurs. Robert and I took the news pretty well or as well as we could. I tried thinking back to Amanda’s birth to try and find some similarities between this and that, but I came up with almost nothing. Something felt off and it was worrying me to my stomach.  
            On hour five, they pulled Olivia out for an emergency ultrasound and examination. She was gone for an hour and in that hour, Robert and I decided to go get food to clear our heads. We went down to the hospital cafeteria and ate some of the worst food we have ever put in our mouths. While we were there, I could see the stress starting to affect Robert. It was then that he started to worry that something more could be going on than what we’re ready for.  
            On hour seven, things started taking a turn for the worst. Julia came out of the room to let us know that the umbilical cord wrapped around Amy’s neck and because of Olivia’s failure to progress, the staff started considering an emergency Caesarean section. It was at that point that I started to feel sick from the worry. Julia also said that they wanted to wait a little bit longer to see if Olivia’s body will work everything out naturally before the go through with their plan B.  
            At exactly nine and a half hours, irregularities in Amy’s heartbeat started to arise and at nine hours and forty minutes, they started the Caesarean section. It has now been nine hours and fifty-five minutes and I sit in the same hallway with Robert’s hand held tightly in mine. We’re both worried, but I have to find that one sliver of hope and hang onto it for the both of us. We have not heard any news since the C-section started and Julia has not been out to tell us anything new. It’s all a guessing game until Julia comes out with Amy or without her… and I am not a religious person in any aspect, but I hope to God that she comes out with the baby when this is all over or I may fall apart in the hallway of a hospital.  
            “What about Lynn or Lane?” Robert suddenly asks in a quiet voice as he takes a sip from his coffee to hopefully keep himself awake for a little while longer.  
            “I like them both a lot,” I say with a tired yawn. Robert passes me his coffee and I take a quick drink of it, ignoring the bitterness.  
            “Well we can’t give her both. Then her name would sound stupid,” Robert mumbles as he throws his arm over my shoulder and pulls me against him.  
            Since the chairs are so uncomfortable, we moved to see on the ground with our backs up against the wall. Nobody seems to mind, so this is where we have stayed for the past two hours. Oddly enough, it’s a million times more comfortable than those chairs.  
            “So pick one, then. I’m fine with whichever one,” I encourage.  
            “I already picked the first name and she’s getting my last name,” Robert argues, “so help me pick her middle name. Just choose the one that feels right.”  
            I think on it for a brief moment, torn between the two names. “…Lane. Amy Lane.”  
            Robert smiles and presses a tired kiss onto my cheek. “Amy Lane Small,” he muses. “Want to know something kind of special about her first name?”  
            I look over to him in question and wait for him to elaborate. “We did this on complete accident, but if you look at her name, there’s an A and an M. Alex and Marilyn.”  
            I think about what Robert pointed out for a long time. When we were first coming up with names, we did talk about naming her after our late wives, but we inevitably decided against it because the names did not flow well together. It’s funny to think that after all of the names we went through, we still managed to name her after the people we loved and lost. In a way, that bring me comfort and it will be nice to explain that to Amy when she’s older. I’m sure she’ll love to hear the story about the women her daddies loved before they loved each other.  
            “I’m scared, Robert…” I say quietly, grasping onto his hand harder.  
            Robert looks over at me and leaves a lingering kiss on my forehead. He sets his coffee down and securely pulls me against him, making sure that I know he’s here for me. “I’m scared too, but she’ll be alright. They’ll get her out and everything will be okay. We just have to rough it out until that happens.”  
            I sigh and nestle my head against his shoulder. “Olivia is going through so much. As much as I don’t like her, she’s going through a lot to get this baby out of her for us. She only expected to push the baby out and forget about her, she never wanted a C-section that will leave behind permanent scarring,” I mumble, suddenly sad for my late brother’s wife.  
            “Let’s just be grateful that she decided to keep the baby in the first place. Otherwise, we’d be at home right now watching movies until the end of time,” Robert replies as he starts to play with my fingers.  
            I left my head up to look at him. “Would you have wanted to adopt if this opportunity didn’t come up?” I ask, genuinely curious to hear his answer.  
            Robert glances at me to meet my gaze and shrugs his shoulders. “I guess I would have been open to it. Deciding to adopt Amy kind of forced us to straighten things out. I probably would have been more reluctant towards it, but I don’t think I would tell you no. My job is to make you happy and if you wanted kids, I would find a way to get you kids,” He explains simply, finding his answer to come out rather naturally.  
            I smile and lean in to kiss the man I married. Every time we kiss, I still get those same feelings of butterflies in the bottom of my stomach as if it’s the first time I’m kissing him. I would never change the life I live because I already have everything I need and more in this life. I have a, while grumpy, wonderful husband who keeps me well treated in between the sheets, I have two daughters and one on the way, a neighborhood full of friends, and a job that treats me well. Our pets, the house, the love… it’s all perfect.  
            Suddenly, the door in front of us opens. Julia walks out of the room with a small bundle of pink in her arms and a tired smile on her face. Robert and I get to our feet and anxiously cling to each other as Julia draws closer.  
            “It was a long process, but they finally got her out,” Julia says quietly.  
            Now standing in front of us, I look down at the little baby my mother holds in her arms. Carefully and slowly, my mother passes Amy over into my arms and as soon as I have her against me, all of the stress and anxiety I was feeling in the hours before melts away. Robert gently pulls back part of the blanket that covers her chin and lightly touches her cheek as if to make sure she’s real.  
            “She’s a little on the bigger side. The doctor weighed her in at eight pounds and thirteen ounces. Everything looks good and she is as healthy as she can be,” Julia informs.  
            I smile and Robert wipes away the tears the slip down my face. This is exactly how I felt when I was handed Amanda all those years ago. I’m happy and I feel like I’m holding the most delicate thing in the world. She’s really here and she’s safe… _healthy_. Amy slowly opens her eyes and looks up at me peacefully. Her eyes are deep blue and I know that color may change with time, bur for right now… she has my brother’s eyes.

            It was three days before we were able to bring her home. She was quiet on the way to the house and was relatively quiet throughout the first night. On that same night, Robert and I wound up sleeping in the nursery because we grew afraid that all of what happened was actually just a dream and we wanted to make sure that when we woke up, Amy would be the first thing we see. On the days that followed, we got ourselves into a steady pattern. Robert and I are taking turns on calming her down when she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, we have a set bedtime now in order to ensure we get enough sleep, and for being a newborn, Amy is going pretty easy on us. We’re grateful.  
            Amanda went ballistic when I finally sent her a picture. She’ll be coming home in a few days to meet her new little sister and Val will be showing up around that time too. I look forward to introducing Amy to her big sisters because I know they’ll be just as crazy about her as Robert and I are. Anybody who met her thus far has fallen madly in love with her. Mary almost started crying when she saw Amy.   
            Robert and I are sat on the couch with Amy in his arms. She’s awake and looking around the room in wonder as her little hand clings onto Robert’s index finger. In the days we have had her, Robert has done nothing but dote and coo at her helplessly. Just last night, he started crying because he could not believe that he’s a dad again. It brings joy to my heart that he’s happy with Amy and loves her as much as I do.  
            “I don’t think she plans on giving me my finger back,” Robert says quietly as he looks down at the baby with a smile on his face.  
            “Like it matters. You barely put her down as it is,” I laugh.  
            Robert glances over at me with excitement in his eyes. “It’s hard to. I was like this with Val too. Marilyn almost had to pry Val away from me at times,” He admits sheepishly.  
            I grin and briefly rest my head on his shoulder. “That’s your daddy instinct. Amanda was pretty much attached to me too. I hardly let her out of my sight.”  
            Amy shifts her eyes to me and a small, toothless, smile stretches on her little face. I’m amazed by how expressive she is for only being a week and a half old. She’s so small, yet she has become my life like Amanda once did. All that matters to me is my daughters and husband; they’re all I need to be happy. And as I look at Robert’s blissful expression as he looks down on Amy, I know that happiness will last a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha! Little baby Amy is finally here.   
> To those who have not read the latest chapter of The Choices That Lead me Here:   
> -I'm tearing my stories apart right now to upload with a different format. I know some of you guys will prefer the old way, but I like the way I'm uploading now and will continue to use it. Thank you for being patient with me as I write these stories and figure out what looks best and works for me.   
> -Also: As an 'author', I want to make sure that I'm putting out the best content I can for my readers. That is why I have decided to rewrite the first few chapters of Something About Us. The plots will remain the same and most of the content, but I'm really unhappy with what they are. I do not expect you guys to go back and read, I just wanted to let you guys know that I will be doing that and most likely soon.


	14. Where we Belong: Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody and Robert decide to spend a night along together. With Amanda in town, they leave Amy with her and Mary before setting out on the last night of this story.

_ Summer: The Last Chapter _

            “Are you sure you’re going to be fine with her? She can be quite a handful.” I ask nervously as I pass Amy off to Amanda.  
            “I got it, pops. Don’t worry. I have Mary here and if anything happens, we’ll call you two immediately. Just go out and have some fun for once,” Amanda beams, “you two have been cooped up inside this house for the past four months.”  
            I smile at my daughter and give her a quick hug. At the same time, I manage to give Amy a quick kiss on the forehead and her little hand lightly smacks on my face. Laughing, I pull away and grab my wallet from Robert. With the plan to resume my prating, I turn to Mary who sits comfortably on the couch with Amy’s care pack in her lap.  
            “Don’t even say anything,” she warns with a stern finger point, “just get out of here before the night fades away and you two have to come crawling back.”  
            Defeated, I smile and grab Robert by the hand as he starts to drag me out of the house. The night air is warm and it’s the perfect temperature for walking to places, but we’re taking the truck to get to the bar instead. Without all of the cigarettes packs and ash, the truck has remained clean for a long time. The only clutter that lingers in here is the occasional gas station receipt and one or two empty cans of Coke. It’s a nice change from how it was. The stickers on the dashboard from Val are still there and I suspect they will stay there until they fade away. Robert cannot bring himself to remove them when they were placed there in a time of innocence.  
            I’m nervous about leaving Amy tonight. Robert and I have been with her every day for the past four months and we never thought about babysitting until just last week. Taking care of Amy has run Robert and I to the ground and we realized that we needed a night to ourselves. Though, the idea of leaving Amy is freaking me out. I never really had to do it with Amanda because if I did not have her, Alex or Craig would. I trust my kid and Mary to look after Amy, but it’s the old dad-worry-bone in me that has me distracted.  
            “She’ll be fine,” Robert says, sensing that my thoughts are still stuck on Amy.  
            Sighing, I let my hand rest on his thigh and watch the building as the blur by. “I know. This is just the first time we’re leaving her with somebody other than you and me and I’m worried,” I explain with a tired smile.  
            Robert nods and pulls up against the curb near Jim and Kim’s. “Believe me, I’m worried too. But, tonight is supposed to be a break for us and I fully intend on taking that break.”  
            I silently agree to his statement and clumsily get out of the truck, finding a sense of Déjà vu wash over me as we walk into the bar. Neil smiles at us and as Robert goes off to get the drinks, I wonder over to an empty booth at the back of the bar. I slide in and pay close attention to the things going on in here tonight just as I do every time I’m in here. There’s a couple sitting at the counter, two people in the booth behind the one I sit in, and there’s a small cluster of people chatting in the center of the bar. I laugh under my breath and turn my attention down to the polished banged up table. This table has been through a lot.  
            Robert slides into the spot in front of me and passes me a glass of orange juice while he has a glass of whiskey. It was determined before we left that I would be the designated driver for tonight. We do not plan on spending the entire night in here, but Robert was craving a drink and I was kind of missing Jim and Kim’s. It may be a little old, but this bar has always been one of my favorite places in Maple Bay.  
            “Do you ever think about how different our relationship would be if I agreed to sleep with you on that first night?” I ask suddenly, leaning back against the pealing leather of my seat.        
            Robert seems mildly surprised by my question. I suppose it is not often that I bring up what could have happened that night if I chose differently. “Things would be different, but I image we would end up together regardless because you’re irresistible and I would probably get annoyed with you being single and available for dating the other dads in the cul-de-sac,” He admits.  
            I grin and happily take a sip from my orange juice. “Since when am I considered to be irresistible?”  
            Robert scoffs and playfully kicks me under the table. “Do you really think I would have sat through your attempts at flirting if I didn’t find you attractive? You’re my type, Cocoapuffs.”  
            “I still have no idea why you insist on calling me that. I don’t even look like a Cocoa Puff. I’m white as fuck,” I say with a slight tilt to my head.  
            My husband snickers and shrugs his shoulders. “I have no idea. I call you Cocoapuffs because it’s funny and Mary calls you Coconut for the same reason. It’s just a name that stuck.”  
            “Ah, right. Kinda like Bobert,” I tease fearlessly.  
            Robert glares at me and continues to glare at me for as he takes a drink from his glass. “No sex for a week,” He says bluntly.  
            “Fine. I can live with that. When will you realize that threatening to take away sex is not a good punishment for me?” I question.  
            Robert rolls his eyes and gestures to the entirety of the bar. “To anyone else, that would be the perfect punishment. You’re just broken.”  
            My attempts to keep a straight face fail and I wind up laughing. Robert starts to laugh too and before we know it, we’re both laughing hard for no reason. After being cooped up in the house for the past four months since Amy was born, it seems that Robert and I were seriously due for a break. It is nice to finally do this again. When the laughter calms down between us, I reach out and lightly touch Robert’s hand. He looks at me curiously and I smile as I pull his hand closer to my side of the table. With my fingertips, I trace his little white scars and find myself consumed by them. They’re apart of his character, a part of who he is and I love them.  
            “How are Val and the twins?” I ask, still focusing on the scars on his hand.  
            When Val went into labor, we rushed to the hospital and were surprised to find out that Val was in fact carrying twins. She and Jesse knew, of course. Val, like she always tends to do, wanted to surprise us and Robert nearly cried when he saw two baby boys in her arms instead of one. Since then, we have been getting constant updates about them and we return the favor by sending updates about Amy. We know that as the kids grow older, they will become best friends. Val only lives a few miles from our house and that makes it really easy to set up play dates.  
            “Last time I heard, she was taking the boys to the aquarium. They’re supposed to be coming by in about a week so Amy can see them,” Robert says simply after checking his phone to get me a proper response.  
            I give Robert his hand back and listen to the song that plays in the bar. A wide smile stretches on my lips when I figure out what it is, unsure of what the chances are of this song coming on out of all of the nights we have been in here. _Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine_. What a coincidence.  
            “What are you smiling about over there?” Robert asks, blatantly confused.  
            “I’m smiling because of this song. It played that night when you came home from your trip. The night we almost kissed up at the view point,” I explain, gesturing to the ceiling.  
            Robert scoffs and looks at me as if I lost my mind. “How the hell do you remember that? I can’t even remember what we had for dinner two nights ago let alone a song that we heard what… three or four years ago?”  
            I shrug and think fondly back to that night. “It’s a talent of mine and that night happened to be a really good one for me. It was the night that kind of started our relationship because I decided I would stop pretending that I didn’t need you,” I point out.  
            Robert thinks for a moment before inevitably agreeing with me. That night was very important for our relationship. Resisting the urge to kiss him, finding out he’s ticklish… it all started there. We built our relationship off of that night and I’m so glad we did.  
            “Okay, what do I gotta do to get you out of that head of yours and into reality? This is the most distracted I have seen you in months.” Robert asks, setting his empty glass down on the table lightly.  
            I snap back out my thoughts and frown slightly. “Sorry, baby.”  
            Robert shakes his head and reaches out to take my hand. “Don’t be sorry. That’s not what I’m looking for, Codes,” he says kindly, “do you want to get out of here? It’s no fun when only one of us is drinking.”  
            I nod and we get up from the booth. I go to take my wallet out to pay for the drinks, but Robert takes it out of my hands and pulls out his wallet instead. On the way out, Robert gives Neil a ten dollar bill, who seems pleased with the extra money because both drinks barely cost us five dollars. With the truck keys in my hand, I go around to the driver’s side as Robert gets into the passenger side. Once again, I’m on this side of the truck and it’s a strange feeling. This is Robert’s truck, this is practically his baby.  
            In silence, I drive us up to a place we have not been to in a while. The last time we were up here was early in June with Amy. It only seems fitting to go there tonight when I’m feeling reminiscent about that night that occurred so long ago. Not only that, but I love it up there and as I back up into the spot, Robert’s lips turn into a smile. He misses this place, I know he does. With how busy our lives have been, he can’t slip away to come up here to think so he winds up distracting himself with movies and the baby.  
            After getting out, I walk around to the tailgate and open it before climbing up onto it to grab the black waterproof duffel bag that lives back here. From it, I pull out the thick red plaid blanket and lay it out in the bed as Robert watches me. This is a step by step process that I have grown very fond of and used to.  
            “You’re an old pro at this, kid,” Robert teases proudly.  
            I grin at him and gesture for him to join me up here. He does and immediately pulls out a piece of wood and a knife from the depths of his leather jacket. He’s so happy to be up here that he almost seems like a little kid being told they’re going to Disney Land. With him consumed in his carving, I lie back on the blanket and look up at the stars. This is my happy place. It’s warm, I’m with my husband, everything is quiet except for the sounds of his knife against the wood, and the sky is clear. I would not change a thing about this moment.  
            “What do you think Mary and Amanda are doing with Amy right now?” Robert asks mindlessly, looking for conversation.  
            “Well considering its past nine, they should have her sleeping unless she’s hungry or fussy,” I say knowingly.  
            Robert sighs and stops carving to look down on me.  “Do you think she’s alright?  
            I prop myself up on my elbows and stare at Robert with a deadpan expression. “Look whose worrying now,” I comment. Robert rolls his eyes and passes me a carved penguin. He’s getting ridiculously good at whittling. It impresses me every time I see a carving of his.  
            “Okay. Distract me. I need a distraction,” Robert requests.  
            Laughing, I set the penguin aside and cup the side of his face. This is our night to be alone and I intend to use that to my advantage. Slowly, I bring his lips to mine and taste the whiskey on him. Robert hums with satisfaction and pushes me down until I’m flat on the blanket again. He moves to lie on top of me and I hike a leg up to his hip as he pulls it up.  
            “This is a pretty good distraction,” he says against my lips as a hand slips underneath my shirt.  “How much do I have to pay you for it?”  
            I automatically burst out laughing. “So I get teased for remembering a song, yet you remember the prostitution joke I made?” I ask.  
            Robert grins and pecks my lips briefly. “Of course I do. That was fucking funny. You were so nervous around me, you hardly knew what to say or do.”  
            “Of course I was nervous. All I wanted to do was kiss you and you were not making that easy for me. Joke this, joke that, tickle fight here, body tangle there…” I reply with a false grumpy expression.  
            “Well how about you shut up and kiss me now because we’re married now and I wanna make out with my husband?” He questions alluringly.  
            More than happy to comply, I crash our lips together and rest my hands on the middle of his back. Robert melts against me, feeling every inch of my body against his. His lips are soft and his touches are light, yet I am effortlessly slipping away into blissful ecstasy. I missed this feeling. We’re going to have to find a way to do this more often now that Amy is a little bit older. I need to be with my husband more often.  
            Sighing, I roll us over and kiss along Robert’s collarbone. He lightly traces patterns on my back and with one final kiss, I collapse down on him and he grunts from the impact. As I nestle my head into the crook of his neck, I breathe in his scent and wonder what I would do if he did not smell as good as he does. It’s almost ridiculous.  
            “You know… one of my favorite things about you is your smell,” I say with a small smile on my face.  
            “I figured. You always seem to lose a few IQ points whenever I’m close to you,” Robert jokes.  
            I prop myself up and look down on him with a glare. “I do not,” I argue.  
            Robert laughs and makes a face of disbelief. “Yeah, okay. I’ll remember that next time you lose your train of thought around me.”  
            My glare intensifies. “You suck,” I mumble bluntly.  
            Robert grins and winks at me flirtatiously. “You bet I do.”  
            Laughing, I lie back down on him and close my eyes. I can live with losing a few IQ points. It’s worth it. Exhaling slowly, I let my thoughts wonder off again and eventually lose track of time.

 

            Robert opens the front door and instantly we hear the sound of a baby babbling in the living room. I kick off my shoes and glace at my daughter who sits on the couch with Amy in her lap. Amanda looks worn out, but she continues to make silly faces at the baby nevertheless. Smiling, I walk over to them and ease myself down on the couch. Amy shifts her blue eyes to me and her babbling sounds get louder.  
            “She woke up a few minutes ago. I fed her and tried to get her to fall asleep again, but she’s wide awake,” Amanda explains tiredly.  
            I carefully lift Amy up and bring her against my chest. She plays with the zipper of my lightweight hoodie and tugs on it as I get back to my feet. “I’ll get her back to bed. Thanks for watching her, Panda.”  
            Amanda nods and bounds up the stairs, eager to get to bed. I turn to Robert and he gently attempts to flatten Amy’s hair. For being as old as she is, Amy has a lot of it and it never wants to lie flat. It insists on curling up, though it looks adorable on her. Everything looks adorable on her. She’s a beautiful baby.  
            “Oh, she’s winding down now.” I comment softly as she yawns.  
            Robert smiles and touches her chubby cheek fondly. “She knew weren’t home. Let’s get her upstairs before she wakes up again and starts babbling away.”  
            Turning on my heel, I walk up the stairs and go directly into the nursery. I bend down and lay Amy in her crib as she yawns again and tries to latch onto my zipper again. I do not think there will ever be a day where I do not find her adorable. Hell, I still find Amanda adorable. It’s a side effect of being a parent. Actually, it’s a joy of being a parent. To watch your kids grow and to see who they become is a beautiful thing and I look forward to see the woman Amy becomes. She’ll be strong, just like my brother was.  
            In the hallway, I run directly into Robert. He grabs my forearms to stop me from falling and curses under his breath. Stabilizing myself, I shake my head and stumble to our bedroom in the darkness of the hallway. We were at the viewpoint for longer than we planned. It was nice to have some time alone, but we initially planned to come back nearly an hour ago. I’m not sure where Mary went, but I suspect she went back home to crash once she realized Robert and I were coming in later than we told her.  
            Yawning, I shed my jacket and kick the bathroom door open just enough for me to fit through. I turn on the shower and pull my clothes off of my body, knowing full well that Robert probably has his eyes on me. Blushing, I jump into the shower and sigh when the hot water pours down on my skin. This is what I needed to completely relax. A hot shower does wonders for me.  
            Life is crazy. I can say that now that I have lived through all that I have. Meeting Alex, having Amanda, losing Alex, moving to Maple Bay, meeting Robert, losing Robert, marrying Robert… losing my brother, getting Amy… It’s insane. There are things that I could have done better and there are things that I wish I could have done, but my life is perfect. I’m happy with where things are and even though there are things I could and maybe want to change, I wouldn’t. Through all of the bad and the ugly… I found happiness and place to call home with somebody I love dearly.  I belong here.  
            And as I get out of the shower and see Robert sitting on the bed, I realize something else. Every choice I made has led me here. I found Robert in a time where I needed somebody, when I needed love the most. Who knows what could have happened if I said yes to sleeping with him, who knows what could have happened if we never got back together. Everything I did gave me this life, a life with him. A marriage, a daughter, and a home with him. I do not have to worry about losing him, I do not have to worry about living a life I regret. For the years to come, I will have him and my growing family.

Everything about him is beautiful and I find myself losing touch with what's right and what's wrong when  
I'm near him. He makes me dizzy; he makes me want him...  
And this is where the story ends.

We’re right where we are supposed to be

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah. The end is here. At the end of it all, I decided to cut this story a little short to make sure I can write the last chapter with the proper attention and enthusiasm it needs. I would rather write one more great chapter as apposed to writing 7 more dry chapters that do not do the story justice. I appreciate all of my readers and thank you to those who have stuck through this from the very beginning. With that said, I am still going to be working on 'The Choices that Led me Here' and have plenty more planned for it. Check the next chapter for my last notes! 
> 
> Thank you again! It has been fun and a great experience for me. -Jade Williams


	15. Final Author Notes

            Thank you to everyone who read this story. I know I cut it a little short, but I did what I had to do to deliver a proper ending. Writing this story has been so much fun for me and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. From here, I’m going to continue writing ‘The Choices That led me Here’ and I will be releasing a Destiel fic at some point (soon).  
            Writing this story has been so much fun for me. It gave me something to do and it gave me a chance to exorcise my creative needs. I’m super happy with where things went with it and I look forward to working on other projects in the future. This has been a blast! Thank you once again.

 

Some facts about the Something About Whiskey / Something About us stories:  
  


 **-** I was actually going to write the story with a Momsona instead of my Dadsona (Cody). I was curious about what it would be like, but I decided against it in the final drafts.

 **-** The entire story was inspired by the song Flightless Bird, American Mouth by Iron & Wine

 **-** Instead of having Cody get shot, I was going to have him get into a car accident

-There are still changes that I want to make to the story! I would love to incorporate the other dads more, but I will be doing that in The Choices that Led me Here to compensate for what I missed in these stories.

-I literally misspelled Robert's name so many times (Ronert, Robeet, Rorbert, Robnart Roert, etc)

-I have an entire playlist made up for these stories! (Believe me, I know. Some of these songs are overplayed and cliche)   
*You Found me - The Fray *Never say Never - The Fray *Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine  
*Happy Christmas (War is Over) - Any Version of the song *Sign of the Times - Harry Styles *Let Down - Radiohead  
*You and me - Lifehouse * Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead *Underneath - Adam Lambert  
*Wish you Were Here - Pink Floyd  *The Scientist - Coldplay *First - Cold War Kids  
*Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol  *Run - Snow Patrol  *Holding on and Letting go - Ross Copperman   
*For the First Time - The Script *The Funeral - Band of Horses *Divine - Devin Townsend   
*Ih-Ah! - Devin Townsend  *Impossible Year - Panic! At The Disco  *Smooth - Santana   
*The Mess I made - Parachutes *Heroes - David Bowie *Rocket Man - Elton John  
*The Reason - Hoobanstank *Hurt - Nine Inch Nails *Creep - Radiohead  
* With me - Sum 41 *Anna Sun - WALKTHEMOON *Karma Police - Radiohead  
  
  
THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN! THANK YOU SO MUCH! -Jade Williams

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> I'm so sorry this took me so long to get out. My life has been insane, but Something About us has been started and I hope to get chapters out frequently. Thank you so much for waiting. I appreciate it a TON. Please enjoy this sequel! As always, I apologize for typos. I barely caught the chance to beta read this chapter (I'm a writer with Dyslexia, wheeeee), but I will go over it when I can. -Jade


End file.
